Jim Crutchfield, an completed journalist who has led newsrooms throughout the nation as each an editor and writer will turn out to be head of The Marshall Venture’s native information operation in Cleveland.
Crutchfield will set up the group’s first native information workforce, form investigative and native engagement tasks, and work in partnership with native journalists.
Crutchfield joins The Marshall Venture with an extended observe report of editorial management and greater than 5 many years of regional information expertise. He started reporting for The Pittsburgh Press in 1968, labored as the general public info officer for the Pittsburgh Mannequin Cities Program, a reporter for The Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette, managing editor for the Akron Beacon Journal, govt editor of the Lengthy Seashore Press-Telegram, and deputy managing editor for The Detroit Free Press. He additionally served as press secretary for the late U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. From 2001 to 2006, he was the president and writer of the Akron Beacon Journal.
“The Cleveland information workforce will set the tone for the native information community we hope to construct, and I’m delighted to have an trade veteran like Jim Crutchfield main our inaugural native information workforce,” mentioned Marlon A. Walker, The Marshall Venture’s managing editor, who’s overseeing the native community. “These groups will likely be deeply dedicated to neighborhood engagement, constructing relationships and telling tales essential to our underserved neighborhoods, serving our mission to create and maintain a way of urgency about legal justice in America.”
The Cleveland information workforce is the primary of a number of deliberate as The Marshall Venture seeks to amplify native accountability and legal justice journalism in communities throughout the nation. Along with hiring reporters on the bottom, the award-winning newsroom will help the Cleveland workforce with assets in information, manufacturing, multimedia and design.
Crutchfield has a ardour for mentoring aspiring journalists. In 2007, he was the Inaugural Gaylord Visiting Professor of Journalism Ethics at Arizona State College’s Walter Cronkite College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He was additionally on the journalism school of Duquesne College in Pittsburgh from 2008-2012.
“I’m honored to affix The Marshall Venture, and I’m excited to guide our first native information operation in Cleveland,” Crutchfield mentioned. “Felony justice is overwhelmingly a neighborhood matter, and we will likely be centered on producing engagement journalism to serve native audiences, particularly these straight affected by the legal justice system. I can’t wait to turn out to be a part of such an unimaginable workforce.”
Crutchfield joins The Marshall Venture at a time the place there’s a sturdy want for rigorous legal justice journalism in Cleveland. Testify was The Marshall Venture’s first challenge that analyzed court docket information and voting patterns to discover the lopsided outcomes in Cuyahoga County’s court docket system – together with why 75% of incarcerated folks within the County are Black.
Crutchfield’s appointment reinforces The Marshall Venture’s dedication to investigative, information and engagement journalism.
“We’re delighted that Jim Crutchfield has agreed to turn out to be the editor-in-chief of our Cleveland information workforce,” mentioned Susan Chira, editor-in-chief of The Marshall Venture. “He has a formidable report of distinguished management and beneficiant mentorship in driving nice journalism that’s written for, and accountable to, the Northeast Ohio neighborhood. He shares our mission of constructing positive our work reaches the widest vary of audiences, together with those that have felt omitted or mischaracterized prior to now.”
Crutchfield relies within the Cleveland space.