FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dec. 10, 2025
Media Contact: Bob Vitale, C: 614-805-6114, dispatchnewsguild@gmail.com
Columbus, Ohio — Newsroom employees at The Columbus Dispatch and Newark Advocate today announced they are forming the Dispatch News Guild to address fair pay and preserve local journalism jobs.
In recent years under corporate leadership, newsroom staff have suffered stagnant and inequitable pay, layoffs, buyouts and adverse working conditions. There has been a lack of urgency to fill open positions, putting the workload of multiple people on individual staffers. In a growing city, the lone hometown newspaper’s staff is shrinking rapidly. Unionizing will protect jobs and important local coverage for readers.
“Most journalists consider this a calling, not just a job. We try to be watchdogs against injustice and abuse of power,” said Dean Narciso, a Dispatch business reporter. “Yet our shrinking ranks are controlled by outside corporations not always looking out for our welfare.”
“By standing together and seeking the proper support necessary for us to thrive, we are voicing our support for more than just those of us who work in the newsroom — we’re doing this for all of us,” said Adam Jardy, a Dispatch sports reporter.
The Dispatch News Guild has the support of other unionized newsrooms in Ohio.
“We’re excited for Dispatch employees to join in building sustainable and quality journalism in Ohio,” said Northeast Ohio NewsGuild President Tim Botos, a Canton Repository staff writer. “We encourage others to follow them, and us, on our growing and continued mission.”
Workers are calling on the USA Today Co., formerly called Gannett, to voluntarily recognize the union. Community members can show support by subscribing and signing our petition.
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About the Dispatch News Guild
The Dispatch News Guild represents newsroom employees of the USA Today Co. at The Columbus Dispatch and Newark Advocate. Formed in 2025, the union is part of the Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild Local 1 of The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents more than 27,000 journalists, media workers, and nonprofit employees across the U.S. and Canada. The NewsGuild is one of six sectors under Communications Workers of America (CWA), which has 350,000 members across the U.S. and Canada.