The years I worked at Toledo Free Press were some of the most challenging and rewarding of my life. Our small but mighty staff poured our hearts, souls and most waking hours into the publication for years. Every word, ad, cartoon, crossword puzzle and horoscope was created locally – by, for and about our local community.
When the paper closed five years ago, the website went down as well, which was devastating. It felt like the loss was compounded. Not only the loss of my job, the jobs of all my coworkers/friends and an independent local news outlet, but also the loss of the paper’s legacy – thousands of articles and columns full of countless local voices no longer able to be reached or referenced.
One of the things I loved most about TFP was its willingness to provide a platform to new, varied and underrepresented voices. “How long has it been since you felt any ownership in the Toledo print media?” founding Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller asked in his inaugural TFP column March 16, 2005. “If you answered, ‘I own it now,’ you’re not our intended audience.”
TFP offered weekly space to LGBTQ issues, comic books, local hip-hop, regional history and more. We regularly opened our editorial pages to guest columnists, including elected officials, business leaders and community activists. We asked local Instagrammers to submit photos we used to create a cover for 419 Day. We published an article in Spanish.
TFP prided itself on championing local nonprofits and causes, particularly smaller or upstart events that hadn’t yet found much of a voice or platform elsewhere. We were media sponsors for the first four years of Restaurant Week Toledo and the early years of Toledo Pride as well as Food for Thought’s Jam City, Lucas County Children Services’ Wear Blue Day and the Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla. Miller personally organized the production of six charity CDs that featured local artists and raised nearly $70,000 for Make-a-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio and Project iAm.
TFP’s weekly format allowed our writers the time and flexibility to dive deeper into local stories. One memorable example is Brandi Barhite’s year-long series chronicling one local family’s efforts to rebuild their home and lives after the Lake Township tornado — 52 stories showcasing not only what happens in the immediate aftermath of such a tragedy, but what continues to happen long after media attention typically fades away.
Our annual Military Yearbook and Local Heroes issues offered the families of service members, veterans and first responders the opportunity to honor their loved ones and share their pride through words and photos free of charge.
While never a blind cheerleader, I think TFP as an institution did tend to see the Glass City as half full. When it was in vogue to focus on the city’s “brain drain”, TFP flipped that on its head and launched a multi-year series called “Brain Gain”, profiling more than 70 young people choosing to build their careers in Northwest Ohio.
In some ways, TFP balanced Toledo’s print media community in a way that no one else has, and no one may ever have the guts or opportunity to do again. We provided a check, an additional voice, an alternative voice and — most critically — a truly independent voice. This is the legacy of TFP and these are the stories that deserve to see the light of day once more.
I’m grateful to Sean Nestor and Toledo Integrated Media Education for spearheading this archive project and to everyone who has donated time or money to help bring it to fruition.
We decided to debut our progress on the fifth anniversary of TFP’s closure. It’s timely and significant to focus on preserving a body of journalistic work at a time when journalism as an industry is fragmenting and eroding nationwide in many ways. It’s no secret that print media, particularly newspapers, is struggling and has been for years, but while its future is unclear, the need for independent media is more pressing than ever.
TFP’s staff is now scattered – many still local, some still in journalism, others now pursuing different career paths – but I hope anyone who ever wrote a story, designed a page, edited a line, took a photo, sold an ad, delivered a paper or contributed in any small way can look back here with pride on the work we did.
Toledo Free Press was a labor of love. This restoration project has been another. But I’m so proud to have been a part of it.
Thank you, Toledo — still, again and always — for reading.
Sarah Ottney was a writer and editor for Toledo Free Press from 2010-2015, ending as Editor in Chief.
