Ben Jodway
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bjodway.com
Ben Jodway
@bjodway.com
1.6K followers 270 following 79 posts
Rural LGBTQ+ reporter and TTRPG fanatic. Currently reporting for @thebuckeyeflame.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social, and desperately trying to find a new D&D group. If you want to reach out confidentially, text me on Signal @benjodway.25
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
Trans-owned plant shop The Leaf Lounge takes root in rural Ohio.

By collaborating with other local businesses, Kayden Warner sows the seeds of a greener community space in Fremont.

✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social

thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/02/04/t...
Trans-owned plant shop The Leaf Lounge takes root in rural Ohio
By collaborating with other local businesses, Kayden Warner sows the seeds of a greener community space in Fremont.
thebuckeyeflame.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:44 PM
bjodway.com
Many LGBTQ-advocacy organizations in rural Ohio have been stepping up to meet a persistent demand for safe discussion spaces.

I’m thrilled to cover one such space in Knox County!
February 2, 2026 at 5:35 PM
bjodway.com
Been working on this one with my editor @kenschneck.bsky.social for a while.

We found only 4 out of 16 bans were even searchable on municipalities' websites.
January 29, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
oriion.bsky.social
1 in 6 queer and 1 in 3 trans U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. That’s compared with 1 in 9 straight adults.

Recent federal cuts mean fewer people and resources are available to address this disparity — and researchers are starting to take matters into their own hands.

Read more of my latest here:
As federal anti-smoking programs get cut, who’s looking out for LGBTQ+ adults?
Amid cuts to national smoking programs, researchers are taking matters into their own hands. They worry LGBTQ+ adults will get left behind.
19thnews.org
January 26, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
PROGRESS! - Oberlin becomes 15th Ohio city to ban conversion therapy on minors.

✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social

thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/01/21/o...
Oberlin becomes 15th Ohio city to ban conversion therapy on minors
The Ohio college town passed the ordinance after some modifications reacting to a federal appeals court decision that struck down Michigan’s statewide ban.
thebuckeyeflame.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:09 PM
bjodway.com
Happy to see RFA highlight my story! Give it a read if you haven't already!
January 20, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
nicolecarpenter.bsky.social
Last week, I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, on a publication I don't write for. It sent me down a very strange rabbit hole involving a mysterious content publisher. There's a lot I don't understand, but here's what I know:

aftermath.site/nicole-carpe...
I'm Not That Nicole Carpenter
I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, and it pulled me down a journalism rabbit hole.
aftermath.site
January 15, 2026 at 10:20 PM
bjodway.com
Loved writing this story!
January 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
jlussenhop.bsky.social
Put another way: the FBI now has full jurisdiction over the case, with no local/state government involvement.
jlussenhop.bsky.social Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · Jan 8
The MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been pushed out of the investigation into Renee Good's death: "Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands." dps.mn.gov/news/bca/bca...
BCA statement regarding investigation of ICE fatal shooting in Minneapolis | Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Please see this updated link to the statement below from Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.
dps.mn.gov
January 8, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
leocusimano.bsky.social
Ken did an amazing job. Take a listen and share LGBTQ news.

thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/01/07/t...
This News is So Gay (1/7/26): Carrying Stories into 2026 and Covering Rainbow Crosswalks
Featuring: Leo Cusimano (Dallas Voice), Ryan Williams-Jent (Watermark Out News) & Kate Sosin (The 19th)
thebuckeyeflame.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
pjmaciak.bsky.social
The newspaper of record of my entire childhood would literally rather die than pay its unionized workers the wages and benefits that the actual Supreme Court of the United States of America decided were owed to them.
producertory.bsky.social Tory Wegerski @producertory.bsky.social · Jan 7
NEW: Publishers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announce they are shutting down the newspaper on May 3, 2026.

Hours ago, the Supreme Court of the US declined to extend a stay on a court order for the paper to pay its journalists following the end of a 3-year strike.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Post-Gazette to Publish Final Edition and Cease Operations May 3, 2026 Block Communications, Inc. and the Block family are saddened to announce that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette plans to publish its final edition and cease operations on May 3, 2026. Over the past 20 years, Block Communications has lost more than $350 million in cash operating the Post-Gazette. Despite those efforts, the realities facing local journalism make continued cash losses at this scale no longer sustainable. Recent court decisions would require the Post-Gazette to operate under a 2014 labor contract that imposes on the Post-Gazette outdated and inflexible operational practices unsuited for today’s local journalism. We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. The Block family is proud of the service the Post-Gazette has provided to Pittsburgh for nearly a century and will exit with their dignity intact. ###
January 7, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
oriion.bsky.social
hey, I'm a reporter looking to talk with other LGBTQ+ folks about their relationship to smoking (cigarettes). are you trying to quit? did you pick it back up again recently? do all your friends smoke? let's talk! DM me or Signal me @orionr.80
January 5, 2026 at 4:56 PM
bjodway.com
there’s still some good queer news out there folks!
December 18, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
propublicaguild.org
1/ At bargaining yesterday, @propublica.org management said that they should have 100% discretion to replace workers with AI and would not commit to labeling future AI-generated content.
Headline: ProPublica management wants 100% discretion over when and how to use AI Supplementary text: The organization rejected our proposal that ensures staff will not be replaced by AI and requires labeling AI-generated content
December 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
bjodway.com
ICYMI
December 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
INCREDIBLE STORY: Rural Ohio trans candidate nearly drops out of race after being targeted online, wins seat in Republican stronghold.

✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social

thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/12/15/a...
Rural Ohio trans candidate nearly drops out of race after being targeted online, wins seat in Republican stronghold
Amy Heutmaker pledges to heal political divide in her rural Ohio township
thebuckeyeflame.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
jamilahking.bsky.social
Are you someone who's Very Online, early in your reporting career, and eager to get clips? We're hiring a Breaking News Reporter at @motherjones.com. $65k-$75k salary. www.motherjones.com/careers/brea...
Breaking News Reporter
www.motherjones.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:31 PM
bjodway.com
We met our fundraising goal!! Thank you so much to everyone who donated!
thebuckeyeflame.com The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · Dec 10
Seriously: THANK YOU. We have reached our NewsMatch goal WITH YOUR SUPPORT.
December 12, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
Ohio Attorney General weighs in on City Club of Cleveland’s decision to host anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.

City Club CEO tells conservative outlet: ‘We’re not canceling.’

thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/12/11/o...
Ohio Attorney General weighs in on City Club of Cleveland’s decision to host anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
City Club CEO tells conservative outlet: 'We're not canceling.'
thebuckeyeflame.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
dispatchnewsguild.bsky.social
EXTRA! EXTRA! The Columbus Dispatch is unionizing!

cwalocals.org/columbusdisp...
December 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
THE LATEST: Ohio LGBTQ+ leaders pen open letter denouncing City Club of Cleveland after forum books anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.

The hate group also responded.

LINK IN FIRST COMMENT.

thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/12/09/o...
Ohio LGBTQ+ leaders pen open letter denouncing City Club of Cleveland after forum books anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
Historic free speech forum to host hate group president; LGBTQ+ leaders and hate group respond.
thebuckeyeflame.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:59 PM
bjodway.com
Gie May thought their race would help show Wadsworth that other candidates existed besides Republicans. Turns out, voters wanted more than that.
An out nonbinary candidate just won a seat in ruby-red Ohio town by 13 votes. They didn’t believe it, either.
Gie May thought their race would help show Wadsworth that other candidates existed besides Republicans. Turns out, voters wanted more than that.
thebuckeyeflame.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
NEW EPISODE! - This News is So Gay (11/26/25): Digging into SNAP Benefits, Pride Updates and Lesbian Bars

Featuring: @josephjaafari.bsky.social (@lookoutnews.bsky.social), @bjodway.com (@reportforamerica.bsky.social) & @marissajae.bsky.social (@washingtonpost.com)
This News is So Gay (11/26/25): Digging into SNAP Benefits, Pride Updates and Lesbian Bars
Featuring: Joseph Darius Jaafari (LOOKOUT), Ben Jodway (The Buckeye Flame) and Marissa J. Lang (The Washington Post).
thebuckeyeflame.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
Elected officials in rural Ohio submit testimony in favor of state’s ‘drag ban,’ spurring response and a protest.

The mayor of Greenville, Ohio, calls bill violators ‘degenerates’ in his letter to the state’s House of Representatives.

✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social
Elected officials in rural Ohio submit testimony in favor of state's ‘drag ban,’ spurring response and a protest
The mayor of Greenville, Ohio, calls bill violators ‘degenerates’ in his letter to the state's House of Representatives. But he wasn't the only elected official in rural Ohio to submit testimony.
thebuckeyeflame.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by Ben Jodway
thebuckeyeflame.com
Free speech or platforming hate? City Club of Cleveland to host president of Ohio anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.

The Center for Christian Virtue invited because of their “influence,” says speakers’ forum CEO.

thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/11/17/c...
Free speech or platforming hate? City Club of Cleveland to host president of Ohio anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
The Center for Christian Virtue invited because of their “influence,” says speakers’ forum CEO.
thebuckeyeflame.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:30 PM