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The 21st Show

The insurrection: One year later

One year ago today, our country was forever changed. A pro-Trump mob stormed the United States Capitol as a joint Congress session had assembled to count elector votes and formalize Joe Biden’s legitimate election as the next President. Last year, on January 7th, we had political analyst, historian, and author Jonathan Alter on the show, and he joined us again. 

The 21st Show

Nikki Usher: “News for the Rich, White, and Blue”

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign journalism professor Nikki Usher talked about their book, News for the Rich, White and Blue, How Place And Power Distort American Journalism, which argues that news is increasingly geared toward people who are rich, white, and lean Democratic. This segment originally aired October 27, 2021.

State Capitol in Springfield
Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Newsroom

The 21st Show

Can a new taskforce save Illinois journalism?

As we asked "Who is in charge of the news?" we looked at the new Local Journalism Task Force, signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker. 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.

Covers of Reflejos, N'DIGO and Borderless magazines

The 21st Show

Finding Black And Latino-focused news in Illinois

We talked to leaders of Black and Latino-focused media organizations about the history and objectives of their organizations, access to news that isn't centered on white communities, and more. This segment originally aired October 25, 2021.

A gauge shows the rate of papers being printed at The State Journal-Register in Springfield on Feb. 28, 2011. It was the last local run of the SJ-R — after that, the parent company dismantled the press and moved printing operations to Peoria, one of the early cost-cutting moves in what would be a decade of reductions.
Brian Mackey/Illinois Public Media

The 21st Show

What a shrinking newspaper costs a community

Some version of the newspaper known today as The State-Journal Register has been published in Springfield and Sangamon County since 1831, but today, The newspaper of today is a shadow of what it once was. Today on the program, we talked about what's lost when a community sees its newspaper shrinks. This segment originally aired October 25, 2021.