Jackie Palochko brought firsthand experience with The Center Square when she became news director at WITF. She had worked with the news service while serving as deputy managing editor of news at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. When The Center Square approached WITF about a partnership, she already had a sense of what its reporting could offer.
The opportunity was to add relevant Pennsylvania journalism to a newsroom with a clear community mission. The Center Square provides state government, public policy and economic reporting that publishers and broadcasters can draw on to supplement their own coverage. “They cover a lot of state government and policy issues,” Palochko said. “They can complement our reporting and help us out with, you know, anything that we might not be getting to at the moment.”
Supporting a community-driven mission
WITF’s news team includes three reporters covering the state Capitol, elections and general assignments, along with a digital editor and radio hosts for Morning Edition and All Things Considered. That work gives the newsroom a strong connection to Pennsylvania’s public affairs and the communities affected by them.
“As a public media station, we’re very community driven,” Palochko said. Her interest in The Center Square reflects that focus: reporting on policy matters, but so does getting out into communities to understand how people experience those issues.
She pointed to The Center Square’s coverage of the data-center debate, including conversations with residents, as an example of reporting that connects the state’s broader policy discussions to community concerns. That approach complements the journalism WITF already produces.
John Derr, director of affiliate partnerships for The Center Square, has worked with Palochko as the relationship has developed. The partnership offers a public media example of the supplemental role The Center Square can play across different kinds of news organizations.
“Every newsroom knows its community and what its audience needs. Our job is to give those editors more useful reporting to choose from, so they can build on the journalism they already do best.” — John Derr
Familiar reporters and meaningful stories
For Palochko, evaluating outside reporting begins with the same expectations she applies to work produced by her own team. “I like to make sure that the stories are accurate and fair,” she said.
Her familiarity with one of The Center Square’s reporters also helps. They had worked together at the Post-Gazette and in another newsroom, giving her direct knowledge of his reporting. “I know him very well, and I trust his reporting, and I know it’s good, strong reporting,” she said.
That confidence is backed by stories she has selected for WITF’s coverage. She cited reporting on measles in Lancaster County and on residents’ views of data centers as two examples that stood out. Both address subjects with direct relevance to the communities WITF serves.
Palochko also sees improvement in the service’s work over time. Reflecting on her earlier experience at the Post-Gazette, she recalled occasionally spotting errors. Her more recent assessment is stronger: “I think their reporting has gotten a lot stronger,” she said, crediting the addition of experienced reporters and editors.
Making useful reporting easier to find
Finding the right stories is part of making a content relationship work. Palochko has met with Derr several times and with The Center Square’s Pennsylvania editor. A daily planner gives her a practical way to see what reporting is available or in development. “She’ll send out, like, a daily planner of what they have going on,” Palochko said. “So I can check that and see if there’s anything that, you know, piques my interest and something I’d like to use.”
That communication puts story selection in the editor’s hands. Palochko can look through the planner, identify coverage that fits WITF’s priorities and decide what adds value for its audience.
“A good partnership makes it easy for an editor to find the stories that fit. We want newsrooms to know what’s available, have someone they can talk to and tell us where we can be more useful.” — John Derr
Building on the relationship
For WITF, the immediate value is access to more journalism for its website and radio coverage. Palochko believes a fuller offering can help attract and serve audiences, while emphasizing that she has not yet reviewed specific audience numbers for The Center Square’s stories.
The partnership is still developing, and she also has a suggestion for its future: more reciprocal promotion of partner journalism. Other news partnerships have helped introduce audiences to WITF’s work through newsletters and links, and she would welcome more of that exchange with The Center Square.
Her recommendation to fellow news leaders starts with what the relationship already provides: another source of reporting they can evaluate and use for their communities. “It’s been really great to have another outlet that we are able to pull content from,” Palochko said. For a public media newsroom focused on Pennsylvania, the benefit is practical: more relevant stories to consider, with its own editorial priorities guiding the choices.
To learn more about The Center Square’s Partner Network, contact John Derr at jderr@thecentersquare.com. To support The Center Square’s reporting, contact Laurel Abraham at labraham@thecentersquare.com.
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