Your Voice Ohio is a collaborative effort by news organizations across Ohio to better respond to the needs and aspirations of all Ohioans.
We use engaging, authentic, and accessible solutions-driven community conversation to rebuild trust between Ohioans and Ohio media.
Our Vision
Many Americans don’t see themselves represented in their local news, especially in political news. We believe it’s time to embrace representative and solutions-oriented news coverage on the issues that matter most to Ohioans. We envision a world where journalists and the communities they serve see each other not only as real people, but partners working together to create a more vibrant Ohio.
Your Voice Ohio is a project of the Jefferson Center, a nonpartisan civic engagement nonprofit who believes high-quality and trustworthy information forms the bedrock of a healthy and vibrant democracy. Staff work closely with Ohio journalists and local organizers to create and manage community events and digital outreach.
The Jefferson Center has over four decades of experience partnering with citizens, communities, and institutions to design and implement informed, innovative, and democratic solutions to today’s toughest challenges.
What We Do
We design and implement digital and in-person opportunities for newsrooms and communities to engage with one another. This could look like journalists texting community members over a number of months or sitting down for a two hour discussion exploring solutions to the local addiction crisis. These engagement programs can help journalists:
- Surface new ideas
- Uncover under-reported problems or solutions
- Offer productive critiques of existing reporting
- Illuminate information gaps and common myths
- Reach and support communities, especially those underserved by traditional news media, including communities of color, rural communities, and low-income communities.
- Assess priorities and shift coverage toward more critical areas
All our programs and events are guided by our engagement principles.
See our community conversation model in action
Who We Work With
Our History
In 2016, the Jefferson Center conducted a statewide poll and community events which surveyed thousands of people around the state of Ohio. They posed this question: “How can local news media shift their coverage to help voters better evaluate candidates and make more informed electoral decisions during the 2016 election?” Specifically, what voters wanted and needed to know, and what they weren’t getting from candidates and from national news outlets.
Regardless of political affiliation or ideology, one message rang loud and clear: Ohioans don’t see themselves represented in their local news, especially in political news. The Jefferson Center — along with Ohio media partners — saw an important opportunity: now is the time to respond proactively and embrace representative, issue based coverage. We formed the Your Voice Ohio media collaborative as one solution to address this issue.
The collaborative is responding to the recommendations of Ohioans about what they need most from their local media. See if your local news organization is participating in Your Voice Ohio.