College kids help BJ investigate charter schools that hide information 

So what is this NewsOutlet that provided Sunday’s BJ story about more than 100 publicly funded charter schools that refuse to disclose who is in charge of using taxpayers’ money?

Founded in 2009 and operated at Youngstown State University, The News Outlet seeks to give students experience in reporting and producing investigative and enterprise stories. Interns from Youngstown State University, the University of Akron and Cuyahoga Community College produce stories for regional and statewide media partners, including its two founding media partners, WYSU-FM Radio and the Youngstown Vindicator, the BJ and Rubber City Radio.

The project began with a grant from the Raymond John Wean Foundation, and support from WYSU-FM, The Vindicator and the YSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded the News Outlet two Community Information Challenge national grants.

The content the students produce is offered first to its media partners, but then made available for use by any media organization.

The Ohio Board of Regents asked directors of NewsOutlet and Youngstown State University about ways the program could be expanded throughout the state and across the nation.

Beacon Journal staff writer Doug Livingston was the lead reporter on the charter schools project. NewsOutlet reporters who contributed to this project were Karen Bell, Harry Evans, Lee Murray, Natalia Fenton, Rachael Kerr, Ashley Morris, Max Kalik, Rachel Salyer and Matt Hawout.

To read the BJ article on the charter schools going after taxpayer money but not wanting to reveal who is benefitting and who is running the show, click on http://www.ohio.com/news/local/more-than-100-publicly-funded-charter-schools-fail-to-disclose-who-is-in-charge-1.476978