McClatchy announced that Youngstown, Ohio would be the launch city for The Compass Experiment. The Compass Experiment is a collaboration with tech giant Google to help develop sustainable local digital news models. Mandy Jenkins, general manager of The Compass Experiment, pointed out that the move was well-timed:
“When we heard that Youngstown’s daily newspaper, The Vindicator, would be closing, we saw an opportunity to help a community with a rich heritage and distinct identity find a path forward for local news.”
Jenkins is currently recruiting a team in Youngstown to staff the startup as soon as possible. The Compass Experiment will test various business models and share the data with the industry to encourage innovation in the sector.
