The Vindicator

The Vindicator is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. The Vindicator was established in 1869. As of September 1, 2019, The Vindicator is owned by Ogden Newspapers Inc. of Wheeling, West Virginia. The Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator are published by Charles Jarvis, with Brenda Linert as editor. The new owners of The Vindicator announced a welcome to the new version of the Vindicator. History (1869-1984) The paper began in 1869 when it launched as The Mahoning Vindicator. The paper became the Youngstown Vindicator shortly after. During the 1920s, Ku Klux Klan members began protesting outside of then owner William F. Maag, Jr.'s house in response to the paper's reporting of local KKK activities. Its reporting on the KKK, the mafia, political corruption, and big business matters garnered the paper a reputation of fearlessness. Almost 70 politicians, mafia members, and business people were convicted of criminal acts as a result of the paper's reporting in the late 1980s. In 1984, the paper became The Vindicator. The Vindicator's past owners Before September 1, 2019, The Vindicator was locally owned by the Maag family (longtime area residents) and run by the now ceased Vindicator Printing Company, which still runs local NBC affiliate WFMJ-TV and WFMJ's digital subchannel, CW affiliate WBCB. Historically, the paper is known for its reputation of fearless reporting on matters relating to local corruption, the mafia, and the Ku Klux Klan. On August 16, 2019, The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle reached an agreement for the Tribune Chronicle to acquire The Vindicator’s subscription list, The Vindicator masthead and the Vindy.com domain, according to The Vindicator former general manager Mark Brown. After August 31, 2019, The Vindicator temporarily ceased publication and operations were turned over to the staff of its former primary competitor, the Tribune Chronicle, in nearby Warren, Ohio. The Tribune Chronicle's traditional news coverage area is Trumbull County and parts of northeastern Portage County as opposed to the broader news coverage area of The Vindicator. The Tribune Chronicle has now published The Vindicator for the Mahoning County region since September 1, 2019.