Over the years we have seen a decline in large newspapers. There are several reasons for this, but this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a great opportunity for community newspapers and citizen journalists, both of which tend to have more credibility than the former.
Introducing City Bureau
Luckily, Chicago has City Bureau. Their website says: “City Bureau is a Nonprofit civic journalism lab based on the South Side of Chicago. We bring journalists and communities together in a collaborative spirit to produce equitable media coverage and encourage civic participation.”
Here’s my translation of the organization. City Bureau is an oranization committed to arming citizens with skills and tools to tell the stories of the communities in which they live. Thus, attendees receive training from experienced journalists on a varity of topics; their newsroom is open to the public every Thursday; and they partner with organizations around the city to teach and learn the art of journalism.
My City Bureau Experience
In 2015, I was a Reporting Fellow at City Bureau. We were grouped in teams of three, and my group covered food desserts with an emphasis on the Englewood community. I actually became a tag-team with Sarah Conway after one of our members left.
As part of the 10-week program, we had to have weekly group meetings to formulate our story ideas. We also mentored teens at IMPACT Family Center, which is located in the Roseland community. Lastly, we met at the newsroom to report our progress individually and as a group; to learn a journalism skill; and to help each other with ideas. It was cool.
We had to complete a final project with our mentees and with our team. Read my article, The Price of Food in Englewood, in South Side Weekly and Sarah’s article, Inside Englewood’s Best Corner Store, in Chicago Magazine.
I’m going to stop here so you can learn more about this organization from Bettina Chang, one of City Bureau’s founders.