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Careers Investors

Our mission is core to the
Scripps ethos

It was nearly 100 years ago when Scripps adopted its company motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.” This was a call to action for our journalists and the teams who supported them – inspiring us to provide important information that equips our audiences with the tools they need to improve their lives and their communities. We care deeply about our communities; after all, we live in them too. Our viewers, readers, listeners and advertisers are also our neighbors, fellow citizens, family and friends.

Our motto, with its focus on the people we serve, reflects our company’s direction as we have moved from newspapers into radio, television, cable systems, cable networks and most recently onto internet-based platforms such as digital and over-the-top video, while also pursuing growth in over-the-air television. The media business is changing more rapidly today than it ever has. Our company is building a sturdy, high-quality portfolio of businesses that can provide a strong foundation for launching innovative new journalism and media business models – businesses we believe will bolster our value for many generations into the future. At Scripps a sustainable approach to business means evolving to meet the changing needs of our advertisers and audiences and seizing opportunities to create shareholder value in the disruption of our industry.

Scripps’ Corporate Social Responsibility team drives company strategy around CSR and sustainability issues. Below is more on how that work manifests itself within our company.

For an in-depth look at Scripps’ CSR activities, check out its 2022 environmental, social and governance program report.

 

Photo of a lighthouse in front of mountain

Give light and the people will find their own way.

Impactful Journalism

Scripps is dedicated to fulfilling our instrumental role as the Fourth Estate in American democracy.

Our objective local news coverage empowers people to make informed decisions for their own lives and for their communities, and our investigative journalism plays a crucial watchdog role.

In our Local Media markets, we take pride in giving back to the places where we live and work through social service projects, shining light on important local issues such as domestic violence and homelessness, and sponsoring or emceeing important local philanthropic, civic and business events.

Our local television stations serve a critical public-service role in keeping viewers informed during natural disasters, and we host telethons and other fundraising efforts to help those affected.

In both our local and national news and information organizations, we strive to earn and maintain the trust of the public and to be fearless in our pursuit of the truth. Our journalists adhere to the highest journalism ethics practices when gathering and reporting the news and welcome an open dialogue with the public about our news-gathering processes.

CORPORATE GIVING AND THE SCRIPPS HOWARD FUND/FOUNDATION

In addition to the work our employees do in their local communities, Scripps gives back at the corporate level to many organizations in our corporate hometown of Cincinnati, including the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and ArtsWave. We also encourage our employees to take a paid Volunteer Day away from work every year to spend time with an organization or cause about which they are passionate.

Since 1962, the Scripps Howard Fund has further amplified the company’s charitable work. The Fund, the philanthropic arm of our company, supports journalism education that produces fair-minded, thoughtful reporters and editors; literacy that promotes a more educated populace; and basic needs social service organizations in the communities where we do business.

In 2022, nearly 40 percent of our employees companywide contributed to the Fund’s “If You Give A Child A Book …” literacy campaign. Together with Scripps audiences, they raised $1 million – enough to distribute 221,000 books to more than 35,000 children in the markets where we do business.

Click here for the Scripps Howard Fund’s 2022 Impact Report.

EMPLOYEES AND THE WORKPLACE

At Scripps, the work of developing employees and creating diverse, inclusive and respectful workplaces falls into several areas, including Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Workplace Safety; and Well-being.

Equity, DIVERSITY and Inclusion

Scripps is committed to a diverse and inclusive culture that reflects the communities we serve. Our chief diversity and inclusion officer, with the commitment and active engagement of senior leadership, is fostering an environment that develops intentional opportunities for inclusion, which enables all employees and consumers to feel valued and inspired.

Read more about Scripps’ approach to equity, diversity and inclusion here.

Well-being

Our free employee well-being programs take a holistic approach, covering not just good physical health but also mental and financial well-being. We encourage employees to participate in these programs through financial incentives such as premium reductions and company contributions to their Health Savings Accounts as well as team-based behavior modification challenges.

Workplace Safety

As experts in risk management, our Enterprise Response Team anticipates and manages events that create significant risk to both our business and our people, from extreme weather such as hurricanes in our Florida markets to potential workplace safety and employee violence situations.

SUPPORTING SOCIAL ISSUES THROUGH OUR NATIONAL PLATFORMS

Scripps hosts three marquee national events that bring to life our commitment to social responsibility by addressing, respectively, diversity and inclusion; education; and journalism excellence: The Scripps National Spelling Bee; The Scripps Howard Awards; and The Bounce Trumpet Awards.

Scripps National Spelling Bee

In 2022, the Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrated its 94th year of challenging and celebrating young spellers. By inspiring the exploration of words, the Scripps National Spelling Bee illuminates pathways to lifelong curiosity, celebrates academic achievement and enriches communities.The final competition airs on national television the last Thursday of May each year to much fanfare from traditional media, millions of viewers and social media users alike.

Scripps Howard Awards

The Scripps Howard Awards, one of the nation’s most prestigious American journalism competitions, has held 69 awards ceremonies organized by our Scripps Howard Fund. With a focus on high-impact reporting, the awards recognize journalism that spurs action, news organizations that go the extra mile to expose previously undisclosed or misunderstood information, and journalists who embrace new tools, channels, technologies and approaches to provide more immersive experiences for their audiences.

Bounce Trumpet Awards

The Bounce Trumpet Awards were created to recognize individuals and/or groups who augment the richness of our global society by partnering for the cause of justice and equality for all. The awards were created to herald the accomplishments of black humanitarians who have succeeded against immense odds.

A female reporter standing in an open field as she interviews a man about for an environmental documentary.

ENVIRONMENT

As a broadcast company, our carbon footprint is reasonably light. However, we all have a role to play in environmental sustainability, and Scripps is taking an active approach to lighten our company’s impact. We have begun the process of transitioning the lighting in all our buildings to more efficient LED bulbs, including in our video production studios. Many of our operations have undergone energy audits to identify more opportunity for efficiency. We also have transitioned to cellular-based backpacks for transmitting video signals to local television stations, avoiding the need for fleets of less-fuel efficient trucks. And we run recycling programs at our office locations.

CYBERSECURITY

Cybersecurity is an important component of our company’s focus on good corporate governance. The Scripps Board of Directors receives quarterly reports on the company’s cybersecurity programs and initiatives and more frequent updates if events warrant.

Scripps runs very little electronic commerce and thus handles small amounts of consumer data. However, security breaches, computer malware or other cyber attacks could harm our business, our customers or our reputation by disrupting our delivery of news and advertising services or jeopardizing confidential information. For that reason, we continuously work to protect the company and those we partner with and serve against financial, regulatory and reputational costs that could result from the unintended disclosure of company information. This includes regulatory compliance with HIPAA, PCI Data Security Standards and data privacy laws as well as protecting against data breaches and disclosure of confidential company or customer information.