Mission, Vision + Values

EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE

The problem with much of the media industry is that they are beholden to advertisers and therefore are more concerned with ratings than quality. Matter will always be 100% independent. We will not take on an advertiser nor a funder of any kind if they demand control over our content. We are instead funded by donors who care about our mission.

COMMUNITY GROUNDING

There isn’t enough news coverage at the local level, and what does exist often lacks context, empathy, nuance, and heart. Part of the problem is local news is often owned and partially operated by big companies outside of Ohio. Matter will always remain locally owned and operated, as well as grounded in the community. Our staff is accessible to community members, they come from various parts of central Ohio, and from industries parts of the community. Not only that, but when we expand to cover new issues, we intend to do so with community input, so that our ear is to the ground and our coverage is grounded in what people care about, rather than topics being chosen in the newsroom.

INVESTIGATIVE CONTENT

Media is referred to as the “fourth estate” in our society’s system of checks and balances. The executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government all check and balance each other and the media is the people’s way of checking the government. Our work will be different from many local publications, which too often simply regurgitate facts and official narratives. We will always do our best to investigate and dig deeper into the issues, so that you get a more well-rounded picture of what is going on, especially when it comes to what is being done with your tax dollars.

DIGESTIBLE CONTEXT

News can be confusing because it isn’t usually produced with the average person in mind. Most of us have a day job, a side hustle, a family, and school. Who has time to keep up with things like politics? With the current media options, the answer is ‘no one’. Matter changes that. We provide coverage that meets people where they are at, by providing digestible background information, history, nuance, and investigation.

ENGAGING MEDIA

We believe the news can be engaging and entertaining and that if there were more of that, more people would tune in to local matters of importance. Matter works to go beyond boring articles and news reports to be creative and innovative in covering issues in different ways, from mini documentaries, to podcasts, to visual art.

HUMANIZING NEWS

We are concerned with telling stories of the people affecting and affected by the issues we are covering. In a lot of the media officials, academics, and experts get much more air time than the people directly impacted and we want to change that. Our coverage will always attempt to humanize the people we cover. People are multidimensional and quality media must work to expose the depth and breadth of people and their situations, rather than reduce them stereotypes and archetypes. Even the perceived “bad guys” need to be understood - they are humans who deserve our empathy and basic respect. We cannot, as a society, make strides if we are alienating ourselves and one another. Matter always utilizes tools of curiosity, empathy, and understanding while avoiding the temptation to use ignorance, negativity, and judgement.

ACCESSIBILITY

We strive to make our media accessible to all by making our content free, among other things. We attempt to provide closed captioning on videos when possible, for example. You won’t have to have a political science degree to understand our stories: we break down complex issues and theories quickly, clearly, and succinctly. We attempt to distribute our media on as many platforms as possible (social media, articles, website, events, podcasts, etc.). Whenever we gain the capacity, we will provide coverage in other languages. If you are having trouble accessing our coverage, please tell us how we can improve.

COLLABORATION