The Vindicatoris a dailynewspaperservingYoungstown,Ohio,United Statesand theMahoning Countyregion as well as southernTrumbull Countyand northernColumbiana County.The Vindicatorwas established in 1869. As of September 1, 2019,The Vindicatoris owned byOgden Newspapers Inc.ofWheeling, West Virginia.[1]TheTribune ChronicleandThe Vindicatorare published by Charles Jarvis, with Brenda Linert as editor.[2]The new owners ofThe Vindicatorannounced a welcome to the new version of the Vindicator.[3][4][5][6]
 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Ogden Newspapers Inc. |
| Publisher | Charles Jarvis |
| Editor | Brenda Linert |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Headquarters | 240 Franklin Street SE Warren,Ohio44482  United States |
| ISSN | 0890-9857 |
| OCLCnumber | 12961328 |
| Website | vindy.com |
| Free online archives | Google News Vindy Archives |
History (1869–1984)
editThe paper began in 1869 when it launched asThe Mahoning Vindicator.[7]The paper became theYoungstown Vindicatorshortly after. During the 1920s,Ku Klux Klanmembers began protesting outside of then owner William F. Maag, Jr.'s house in response to the paper's reporting of local KKK activities. Its reporting on the KKK, the mafia, political corruption, and big business matters garnered the paper a reputation of fearlessness. Almost 70 politicians, mafia members, and business people were convicted of criminal acts as a result of the paper's reporting in the late 1980s.[8]In 1984, the paper becameThe Vindicator.
The Vindicator's past owners
editBefore September 1, 2019,The Vindicatorwas locally owned by the Maag family (longtime area residents) and run by the now ceased Vindicator Printing Company, which still runs localNBCaffiliateWFMJ-TVand WFMJ'sdigital subchannel,CWaffiliateWBCB.Historically, the paper is known for its reputation of fearless reporting on matters relating to local corruption, the mafia, and the Ku Klux Klan.[8]
On August 16, 2019,The VindicatorandTribune Chroniclereached an agreement for the Tribune Chronicle to acquire The Vindicator’s subscription list, The Vindicator masthead and the Vindy.com domain, according to The Vindicator former general manager Mark Brown.[9][10][11][12][13][14]After August 31, 2019, The Vindicator temporarily ceased publication and operations were turned over to the staff of its former primary competitor, the Tribune Chronicle, in nearbyWarren, Ohio.The Tribune Chronicle's traditional news coverage area isTrumbull Countyand parts of northeasternPortage Countyas opposed to the broader news coverage area of The Vindicator. The Tribune Chronicle has now published The Vindicator for theMahoning Countyregion since September 1, 2019.[15]
Switching eras
editThe Vindicator published a special final edition from the former owners of The Vindicator Printing Company on the evening of August 30, 2019. The former staff gathered that evening to print more than 34,000 of the final edition papers. The paper produced around 3,500 more copies than usual to meet the high demand for the final printing. The former employees, their families and friends gathered at the former press room at 9 p.m. to see the former printing presses fired up one last time.[16]The former staff members included Publisher Betty Brown Jagnow, General Manager Mark Brown, Editor Todd Franko, Politics & Community Columnist Bertram de Souza and Chief Photographer Robert K. Yosay.
Sections (before August 31, 2019)
editMonday through Saturday, the newspaper publishes three sections:
- Local and national news as well as editorial (Section A)
- Sports and weather (Section B)
- Classifieds, Valley Life and comics (Section C)
Each Thursday before August 31, 2019,The VindicatorprintsValley 24,atabloidstyle entertainment guide for the coming weekend. On Saturdays, a TV listings magazine is included. The Sunday edition is, like most other newspapers, greatly expanded. Each Sunday,The Vindicatorpublishes a page entitled "Connected" which includes curated, Youngstown-themed social media posts and a column written by social media researcher and criticAdam Earnheardt.In addition to the sections mentioned, there is also sections dedicated to business, entertainment, life and work, and health, among others. As of September 1, 2019, TICKET, a special section produced by the Tribune Chronicle and led by Andy Gray, the Tribune Chronicle’s veteran entertainment writer, each Thursday has provided award-winning coverage of the local entertainment scene. TICKET now will be published in The Vindicator edition as well.[17]
Websites (before August 31, 2019)
editThe Vindicatoroperated four primary websites: the news and information site vindy.com; a local employment portal vindyjobs.com; vindywheels.com, a local automotive shopping site; and vindyhomes.com, a local real estate site.
The vast majority of content available on vindy.com is provided at no charge. There is, however, a "digital edition" available on the site at the same subscription rate as the printed edition. It is delivered inPDFformat.
The Vindicatorbreaks local news on its primary website, vindy.com, throughout the day and night. This feature is branded "News Watch" and is updated more frequently than the general site. As of September 1, 2019, vindy.com is controlled by theTribune Chronicle.The vindy.com website, post September 1, 2019, is a completely new website and does not host any older articles or content archives. Additionally, the Disqus commenting system which was on the previous website is gone as the new owners have opted for comment free articles. The older articles and content archives can be found by the old owners at vindyarchives.com website.
Strike action
editThe paper's staff has gone onstriketwice. The first strike was in 1964 and lasted nearly eight months; the strikers published theSteel Valley Newsduring this time. The second strike lasted from November 2004 to July 2005, and the strikers published their own paper,The Valley Voice,during this time.
Editorial changes
editPrior to August 31, 2019, Todd Franko, metro editor ofThe Rockford Register StarinIllinois,was named editor ofThe Vindicatoron February 12, 2007. He succeeds Paul C. Jagnow, who retired in 2006. As of September 1, 2019,The Vindicatoris now published byTribune Chronicleof which Brenda Linert is the editor.
In March 2024,The Vindicatorand theTribune Chronicleannounced both paper's will end their Sunday print editions, and instead offer a larger weekend edition on Saturdays.[18]
References
edit- ^"Ogden Newspapers, Inc. profile and media properties".Media Owners.Retrieved2008-05-10.
- ^Mitchell, J. Breen (June 28, 2019)."Vindicator announces it will stop production".WFMJ-TV.RetrievedJune 30,2019.
- ^"Good morning, Mahoning County!".September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^"Good morning Mahoning County! A new day for newspaper in the Valley".September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^"First edition of Tribune Chronicle's 'Vindicator' out on newstands today".September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^"First edition of Tribune Chronicle's 'Vindicator' out on newstands today".September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Grzelewski, Jordyn (June 28, 2019)."The Vindicator, Youngstown's daily newspaper, will close after 150 years".cleveland.com.
- ^abGabbatt, Adam (August 21, 2019)."Ohio newspaper that battled injustice for 150 years to shut down: 'Scary for democracy'".www.theguardian.com.RetrievedAugust 21,2019.
- ^"Fri. 5:15 p.m.: Tribune Chronicle, Vindicator reach agreement".August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 16,2019.
- ^"Tribune Chronicle will take over publishing Vindicator, saving 150-year-old paper".August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 16,2019.
- ^"Tribune Chronicle will take over publishing Vindicator, saving 150-year-old paper".August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 16,2019.
- ^"Tribune Chronicle acquires The Vindicator subscription list, masthead and domain".August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
- ^"Tribune Chronicle acquires The Vindicator subscription list, masthead and domain".August 17, 2019.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
- ^"Press Pass: Tribune Chronicle Editor Brenda Linert".August 18, 2019.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
- ^"Fri. 2:08 p.m.: Tribune Chronicle prepares for Vindicator edition".August 31, 2019.RetrievedAugust 31,2019.
- ^"The Vindicator staff gathers, prints final edition".August 31, 2019.RetrievedAugust 31,2019.
- ^"Good morning, Mahoning County!".September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Gauntner, Mike (March 26, 2024)."Vindicator, Tribune Chronicle to end Sunday delivery of printed newspapers".WFMJ.Retrieved2024-03-27.
External links
editArchives
- September 1984-June 2009
- Vindy Archivesvia Vindicator Printing Co.
- March 2001-August 2019