Tyler Buchanan, the Ohio Capital Journal, and how to contact me
My name is Tyler Buchanan and I’m a news reporter with the Ohio Capital Journal, a non-profit, digital-only news agency based in Columbus. I cover the state legislature, elections and other ways government affects the lives of Ohioans.
Below are details about how you can contact/share information with me, what types of information I’m looking for, and more about myself and the OCJ.
Contact Information
I welcome all sources to contact me through any of the below methods. If desired, we can talk “on background” — meaning I will not use your name in my reporting or tell anyone that we’ve communicated.
My work email is tbuchanan@ohiocapitaljournal.com.
My Twitter (direct messages are open) is @tylerjoelb.
If you have more sensitive information/want a more secure way to contact me:
A more secure email address is tylerbuchanan@protonmail.com — messages are fully encrypted and unable to be read by any third-party. These messages are only encrypted if you email from a secure address, such as another ProtonMail account. This service is free and takes little time to sign-up. You can learn more about ProtonMail here.
I also use Signal, a free and secure messaging app for iPhones and Android devices. Contact me for my Signal #. You can read more about Signal here.
What sorts of tips I’m looking for
As mentioned, I cover the Ohio General Assembly and public policy matters; state government; elections (and elections law); and any other political subject which affects the lives of Ohioans.
In short, if you have information that the public should know about, I want to hear from you.
Here are examples of some other types of tips/information I am looking for:
- Details, insights and perspectives on public policy
- If you work in the Ohio Statehouse (e.g. as a legislative aide) — we want to hear about bill co-sponsor requests before they get formally introduced; and any other internal information constituents deserve to know about. We can protect your identity. Let’s talk.
- If you work in any other government office in Ohio — if there’s anything the public deserves to know about, let’s talk.
- Money and campaign finance — are you aware of a donation that led an elected official to take a certain action? Does something seem fishy about campaign $? Let’s talk.
- Questionable things public officials say/do — some of my reporting details the way in which elected officials use the internet to express their viewpoints and communicate with constituents. If there’s a particularly noteworthy/egregious comment, post, “like,” etc. from an elected official, I appreciate the head’s up.
- Voices of everyday Ohioans — Our motto at the Ohio Capital Journal is “reporting for the people.” So much of coverage (myself, admittedly, included) is focused on those in power. We want to highlight the people’s voices, too. As two examples: I’ve covered how workers are affected by COVID-19 and how pollworkers were affected by last-minute election changes. I want to hear how your life is impacted, in good ways and bad, by Ohio’s government and policies.
More about myself + the Ohio Capital Journal
The Ohio Capital Journal is a non-profit news agency based in Columbus. We are part of the States Newsroom, a network of 16 outlets based in state capitals across the country. You can learn more about the project here.
OCJ’s reporting is freely available for re-publication with proper attribution. You can learn more about how to republish our work here. OCJ’s work has been featured in Esquire, WEWS Cleveland, cleveland.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer, MSN.com, The UK Independent, Patch and elsewhere.
I studied journalism and political science at Bowling Green State University, graduating in 2013. I spent over six years as a reporter and editor for two newspapers in Southeast Ohio, The Athens Messenger and the Vinton-Jackson Courier, before moving to Columbus to report for OCJ in 2019.
For The Messenger, I earned Ohio Associated Press Media Editors awards for news and feature writing, column writing and digital project work. For The Courier, I earned Ohio News Media Association Hooper Awards for news writing, feature writing, photography, column writing and sports coverage.
In 2018, I was named to Editor & Publisher Magazine’s list of “25 Under 35” — featuring “the Future Generation of Newspaper Leaders.” In 2019, BGSU’s Journalism Department awarded me the Florence and Jesse Currier Young Professional Award. I serve on the BG News Alumni Society Board.
I’ve written for USA Today and my reporting has been featured in The New York Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Sandusky Register.
Disclaimers
- Due to the political subject matter of my reporting, follows should not be viewed as endorsements of someone’s views or behavior.
- I sometimes retweet items to highlight/share them with readers. RTs are not necessarily endorsements of the account or the tweet’s message.
- I occasionally use Twitter “likes” to flag something that I want to find or refer back to later. It is not necessarily an endorsement of a tweet’s message.
I sometimes share my perspective and analysis of the news. These ideas are informed by my reporting and the reporting of others. They are not necessarily the beliefs of my employer, the Ohio Capital Journal.
Note for TV/radio news producers:
- I am always available for interviews and to give helpful perspective on Ohio politics. I’ve appeared on TV segments for outlets like Cheddar News and WOUB in Athens. I’ve appeared on radio segments for WOSU in Columbus, WLW in Cincinnati, WSEO in Nelsonville and others.
Reach out at tbuchanan@ohiocapitaljournal.com for any inquiries.
Thank you to reporters Jared Holt, Ken Klippenstein, David Farenthold and Sam Biddle for use and inspiration from their own disclaimers, contact templates, etc.
