The Lansing Journal

I am still processing all the information and inspiration I gathered at LION's Independent News Sustainability Summit last week, but I found that working on this week's video helped me organize my thoughts. I know it can be boring to listen to someone talk about "All the things I learned!" but I felt it was important for me to share this with my community. I really want them to understand how committed we are to serving, and how proud I am of the work we've accomplished together: https://lnkd.in/gzvPsyxH

September — 5 #journalism conferences, 3 cities, 3 weeks!!! availing of lots of opportunities for learning from peer #funders & fellow #journalists about how #philanthropy can help save #localnews, in #chicago and across the nation!?? 2nd up: LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit here in #thechi! the sept. 5-7 conference of local independent online news (LION) publishers brought together #digital #news outlets from across the country, industry experts and supporters of independent news to share knowledge, lessons, and actionable advice on the business of news #media, in #community with people who care deeply about saving local news. learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gDgXFqBu the #keynote panel i could not miss: “What we can learn from #CHICAGO’s investment in its local news ecosystem,” featured The Field Foundation of Illinois grantee all-stars Morgan Malone of #PulitzerPrizes winner City Bureau; Olivia Obineme of Public Narrative; Morgan Elise Johnson of The TRiiBE; and Maple Walker Lloyd of Block Club Chicago; moderated by none other than MacArthur Foundation president John Palfrey, who has spearheaded the national #PressForward initiative to infuse more than half a billion dollars into #communities through credible & accessible local news!???????????? appreciated each one’s perspective as crucial members of our #journalism ecosystem, and their shout-out to Field on the support it's provided in partnership with MacArthur. great to see so many journalists from across the country, many now working on different aspects of journalism, in their own #startup outlets, in philanthropy, or in #nonprofits supporting journalism.?????? pleasure to catch up with veteran journalist and longtime colleague Katherine X Reynolds Lewis, who now runs the The Institute for Independent Journalists. (stay tuned for results of their Journalism Layoffs Census funded by Field, which uncovered #race, #gender and #age patterns in the recent tsunami of journalism industry layoffs, being published this fall). Also great to catch up with Marcia Parker and Sona Patel of The New York Times, partnering with Field on an investigative fellowship. And great to see Melanie Jongsma, founder/publisher of The Lansing Journal in south suburban Lansing. When the promising outlet reached out to Field — which only funds news outlets in Chicago — we were proud to be able to successfully connect them to other funding. Next up: #NewOrleans and the 2024 Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS) Conference and #Mentoring Program! Who's going? I want to hear both successes and challenges in your #newsrooms!?? #foundations #grants #reporter #reporters #reporting #stories #storyteller #storytelling #writer #writers #writing #diversenarratives #print #broadcast #newsdeserts #journalismmatters

I've been fascinated recently by the intersection of media involved in covering the craziness that is happening in my community, Thornton Township. The Lansing Journal has been attending Thornton Township Board meetings for the past two years — we documented the appointment of Tiffany Henyard to the role of Supervisor, not knowing the level of drama she would bring to the position. YouTube "journalists" began showing up as well, and they brought large audiences and in some cases sensationalism that attracted attention to the problem. Partly as a result of their exposure, Chicago broadcast media began showing up in Thornton Township as well, and they added investigative resources and reach. Both YouTube and broadcast add something that The Lansing Journal doesn't have, and when I see these media representatives at our meetings, I typically thank them for their coverage. This week WGN, ABC, NBC, and YouTube were with me at a Special Meeting of the Thornton Township Board. Some were livestreaming the meeting. Some were broadcasting updates the same night or the next morning. I wasn't able to do that. I took my video footage home and began the tedious process of adding notations to it, outlining all of the motions, seconds, discussions, and votes in order to provide some context for viewers in our community and beyond. In doing so, I realized one of the motions on the agenda had never been voted on, and I noted that in the video and in my article about it. Is it important? That's hard to say with anything related to Tiffany Henyard. But it's documented. By the local newspaper. I appreciate the reporting that larger, better-resourced media are bringing to this problem in my community. But I also like knowing that I'm bringing value as well. https://lnkd.in/gPihe6ar

When a colleague and I attended a "Press Forward Chicago grant cohort" meeting last week, she reminded me that I have never really explained to Lansing Journal readers what Press Forward is. It's true, I haven't. I tend to assume people just want the local news we provide and don't care about our business struggles or the broader media landscape. But she was intrigued by the things she learned from Press Forward Chicago presenters — and from fellow newspaper people whose stories are different-from-but-similar-to The Lansing Journal's. So I took my colleague's advice and made "Pressing Forward" the subject of this week's Lansing Journal video: https://lnkd.in/g3uTQCrJ

The Lansing Journal has been providing video coverage of Thornton Township meetings since 2022. Last week we also shot video of the Lansing Village Board meetings, including the board’s second review of the 2025 budget. Having video of budget presentations for the boards of both Thornton Township and the Village of Lansing provided a unique opportunity for comparison of those two forms of government at work. That became the subject of this week's video — https://lnkd.in/gz-aANt4

Today was Josh Bootsma's last day as Managing Editor of The Lansing Journal. As a parting gift he gave me this framed display of screenshots of the weekly videos we've shot together over the past few years. I love it so much! We've done so many fun videos in so many unique locations, in all kinds of weather, with all kinds of people — it's really a great celebration of the work the two of us have done for the Journal and for our community. I will treasure it. Thank you, Josh!

The controversy surrounding Thornton Township Supervisor/Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has brought all kinds of media to town, including YouTubers. It's been interesting for me to watch how they cover the same story I'm covering. This week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with one of these YouTubers. Turns out, she's local to Dolton. And she has some of the same motivations The Lansing Journal does for letting people know what's going on: https://lnkd.in/gQvTPcrH

"Yes, I know that budgets are considered boring by most people," writes Thornton Township resident Paul Robertz. "Tiffany Henyard gets increased spending money if no one knows about the proposed budget, passed by her three rubber-stamp trustees doing business as usual in a small room. Public dissent is anathema to her vision, as we saw at the last Annual Township Meeting, when no one could view the budget they were asked to vote on." The Lansing Journal offers a Local Voices feature — similar to what once was known as Letters to the Editor — and Mr. Robertz shared his thoughts as a way to keep the community informed and connected about what their elected officials are up to: https://lnkd.in/g6QD89gW

What happens to a small, local newspaper when a key staff member leaves? That's what The Lansing Journal is figuring out right now: https://lnkd.in/g8SgHZtJ

When The Lansing Journal covered the Thornton Township Annual Meeting last month, several residents spoke about the embarrassment they feel as national media and YouTube journalists report on controversial Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard. In our conversation with Harvey resident Dr. Felicity Joy Solomon, we asked what community members can do to prepare for the local elections in 2025. Solomon, who ran for Illinois State Senate in 2022, says voting is not the answer to our current crisis. Or at least it’s not the first step: https://lnkd.in/g-_pAftm