Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting fills rural watchdog role
By Debbie-Marie Brown and Saeed Ba Abdullah Medill Reports CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, meatpacking plants across the Midwest have been hotspots for the spread of the coronavirus among their workers. According to the Midwest Center of Investigative Reporting — which began tracking these cases in April 2020 — the number of […]
Black Iowa News reaches its audience via Substack platform
By Melody Guernsey and Isabelle Stroobandt Medill Reports DES MOINES, Iowa — Dana James is no stranger to the way Black people in Des Moines, Iowa, are covered by the traditional news media. Having grown up in the area, she’s seen the impact local news can and has had on her community. James worked at […]
Investigative reporting nonprofit watches over Wisconsin
By Alex Perry and Daisy Kershaw Medill Reports MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism — or Wisconsin Watch — is a nonprofit investigative news outlet that serves the Badger State. Wisconsin Watch was founded in 2009 by husband-and-wife duo Andy and Dee Hall, who built it on the core values of seeking truth, […]
Richland Source uses solutions journalism to serve Mansfield, Ohio, community
By Kelly Heinzerling and Kayla McDermott Medill Reports MANSFIELD, Ohio — The story of Richland Source began in 2013 in Mansfield, Ohio. Located an hour south of Cleveland and an hour north of Columbus, Mansfield is a typical Midwestern town of around 45,000 people. Eight years ago, local resident Carl Fernyak founded an entirely digital, community-focused […]
Nonprofit news site aims to promote civic health and voter engagement in Indiana
By Hazel Tang and Alexandra Todd Medill Reports INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Citizen is a news organization and nonprofit platform that informs the people of Indiana about statewide issues, their government and the legislature. It was founded by Bill Moreau in 2019 and began as a passion project to give back to his community. It […]
Student-driven Eudora Times keeps Kansas town from being a news desert
By Cameron Bopp and Emilie Zuhowski Medill Reports EUDORA, Kansas — For several years, residents of Eudora, a town of about 6,000 people, were left without consistent local news coverage. The small town lost its local newspaper in 2009, but at the University of Kansas (a 15-minute drive from Eudora), several journalism students and their professor […]
Akron, Ohio, co-op magazine connects with readers through community reporting
By Laura Harris and Yuhan Ma Medill Reports AKRON, Ohio — The Devil Strip is a magazine that focuses on arts and culture in Akron, Ohio. As one of the nation’s first co-op publications, The Devil Strip values the sense of community involvement. Every month on the distribution day, the magazines are printed out and distributed […]
Native American Powwow draws a multicultural crowd at UIC
By Anika Exum Medill Reports Every November, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) hosts a traditional powwow to commemorate the start of Native American Heritage Month. Chicago is home to the Midwest’s largest Native American population and is the second largest east of the Mississippi River. This year’s powwow was the 27th annual event, […]
Pop-up shop in Pilsen supports women with cancer
By Esther Bower Medill Reports ELLAS pop-up shop in Pilsen provides apparel for the community at discounted prices, with all funds supporting women with breast cancer. The thrift shop is located inside The Resurrection Project and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-5 p.m. ELLAS hopes to extend business hours soon, according to Juanita […]
Medill reporters celebrate #BourdainDay with video stories from Buenos Aires
A reporting trip to Argentina results in stories inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s television work By Craig Duff Medill Journalism Professor Every year, graduate journalism students at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University pause their regular studies for a mid-winter trip. In a program called Medill Explores, students spent a […]
