Can a new taskforce save Illinois journalism?
State Capitol in Springfield Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Newsroom
Homegrown, independent journalism in Illinois is an endangered species. As we ask who is in charge of the news all week, we looked into the new Local Journalism Task Force, signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker earlier this fall. To find out who’s on the task force, their goals, and whether it will save local, independent journalism, we were joined by the bill’s creator, the bill's co-sponsor, the news director at Northern Public Radio, and a journalism professor.
This segment originally aired October 27, 2021.
GUESTS:
State Sen. Steve Stadelman
D-Caledonia (part of the Rockford metropolitan area)
State Rep. Dave Vella
D-Rockford
Jenna Dooley
News Director, Northern Public Radio (which includes our partner station WNIJ)
Nikki Usher, Ph.D.
Associate professor of journalism, College of Media, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Author: “News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism”
State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, a former TV reporter and anchor for 25 years, says the idea of a local journalism task force was driven by his concern for vanishing local reporters and shrinking newsrooms.https://t.co/AcO4kv29YU
— Illinois Newsroom (@ILNewsroom) September 7, 2021
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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