Illinois Public Media News

The shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, poured fuel on protests that had already been taking place that summer in memory of George Floyd. Kyle Rittenhouse went to Wisconsin with a high-powered, semi-automatic rifle in the style of the AR-15 ostensibly to protect property and businesses. The short version of what happened next is that two people were killed and one was wounded. Now, Rittenhouse is standing trial for murder and other charges. The 21st was joined by reporters from the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times Magazine to discuss the case. 

Journalism schools and newsrooms have released statements about their commitments to inclusiveness and diversity, and yet many news outlets remain predominantly white To talk about it, The 21st was joined by two journalism students and two professors.

Before we end our special week of coverage about "Who's in charge of the news," we wanted to empower all of you with ways to distinguish credible journalism from social media posts that may be shared by your friends and family that are not based on fact.

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. 

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.