Community journalism is a win-win for everyone.

During a recent board meeting I attended at the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce in Carpentersville, a number of matters were on the agenda for review. Past and upcoming local events always bring on a lively discussion.

I happened that day to give Chamber president Melissa Hernandez a tear sheet of a story published in the Daily Herald business section on Friday, July 30, 2021 written by Kevin Schmit. It was about that weekend’s Shop Dundee Sidewalk Sale and included positive quotes from Hernandez in support of the event.

When the topic came up in the discussion, Hernandez spoke about how grateful she was to Schmit and the Daily Herald for the story. But, even better yet, she mentioned how pleased and happy the store owners were about it, too. “They were positively thrilled,” Hernandez said, “ and told me how customers came to the store, some even with the article in hand, all because they saw and read the story.”

That just proved to me (again) the power of local news and how a written story legitimizes an event.

To further solidify the news before I shared it with others, I contacted one of the merchants to double check the facts.

“It was wonderful to see such an abundance of community support during the Shop Dundee Sidewalk Sale,” said Angelike Ajroja, owner, The Half Full Nest Vintage Market in West Dundee.

“ We met so many new faces who said that they had read about our shop in the Daily Herald news article about the event. Many thanks to the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce for hosting and promoting a successful 4 day sale, that really helped us downtown Dundee merchants.”

Our newspapers and writers are key components in bonding a community and spreading the word.

I just wanted to share the good news about the circle of journalism’s impact and how each spoke makes a difference.

Emma Snyder’s newspaper adviser at McHenry High School calls her a “natural journalist” – it just took a little while for anyone to realize it.

Snyder didn’t get involved with adviser Dane Erbach’s newspaper class and the school paper, the McHenry Messenger, until her junior year, but she quickly made an impression even as a newbie.

“In days, I realized she would not need much catching up. Having developed her skills in our Introduction to Journalism class, Emma already possessed a solid foundation and the discipline to succeed as a staff writer,” Erbach wrote in a letter recommending Snyder for the 2021 Northern Illinois Newspaper Association High School Scholarship.

The combination of Snyder’s quickly developing reporting chops and her leadership as the paper’s editor during a pandemic-disrupted senior year earned her NINA’s $1,000 scholarship.

“I felt like I had nothing to lose. I said, ‘Why not?’” Snyder recalled of her decision to apply.

Snyder credits Erbach for encouraging and inspiring her as she ventured into the new world of reporting.

“I learned how to write better articles; do better interviews,” she said of Erbach’s influence.

What neither Snyder nor Erbach could prepare for was a global health crisis which kept students out of the classroom during most of Snyder’s time as a reporter and editor. Still, it didn’t hold her back.

“Being a student journalist during a pandemic and e-learning taught me persistence, determination and perseverance, all crucial journalistic lessons that I would have never learned … if I had not worked through these challenges,” Snyder wrote in her scholarship application.

Snyder relished the opportunity to take on any story. She showed her range with a crisp pre-pandemic report about the MCHS symphonic band’s historic first performance at the Illinois Music Education Conference in February 2020. She shifted into COVID-19 related news that culminated in April of her senior year when she wrote key stories on teacher and staff vaccinations, as well as a one-year reflection on the pandemic’s impact on the school and community.

“During the pandemic, school was really different, but writing articles that were shared with the community was just a different way of helping people,” Snyder explained.

Snyder is headed to Illinois State University where she will join the staff of the school’s legendary Daily Vidette this fall. She looks forward to writing news and features and is rightfully energized by the idea of being able to stretch her legs beyond just COVID coverage.

“I’m just excited for the hands-on learning experience” at the Vidette, Snyder added.

With her college adventure about to begin, Snyder has her goals set on working for a major publication in a big city someday. It’s not lost on Snyder that this all came together very quickly, writing in her application that becoming a journalist didn’t really dawn on her until this year – and now there’s nothing else she wants to do. “I’m just so new. I did start later in journalism,” she said. “I’m waiting to see where it takes me.”

By Jacob Bartelson
Sports Reporter, Kane County Chronicle, Shaw Media

NINA editor’s note: Below is Jacob Bartelson’s “View from the Sidelines” newsletter story sent via email blast to Kane County Chronicle readers. It isn’t available as a link. What follows is his explanation of why he wrote it.

I felt bad for making the phone call, but I had to.

I was finishing an assignment Wednesday afternoon, and was missing a particular school as part of it. I texted the coach earlier in the day, hadn’t heard, so I moved up the food chain to the athletic director – somewhat frustrated.

I got the call I needed a half hour later.

The coach answered. He had just finished one practice. I didn’t realize he was literally going over to the next sport’s practice he coached as we talked.

Then it hit me: So many coaches are pulling double or triple duty right now. No wonder why emails and texts are being left unanswered for a few days.
It’s not lost on me often, but I think many can forget that several coaches are parents, too.

And teachers. And spouses.

I think a behind-the-scenes TV show detailing how a head football coach’s household operates right now would be a humbling watch. I can picture Hudl film on the iPad while Paw Patrol lives large on the big screen. That’s probably just another Tuesday for all I know.

The pandemic has shifted largely everything we’ve known. Who bats an eyelash anymore when a yelling or laughing kid comes through your Zoom or phone calI?

I’ve called coaches when they’re helping with their elementary-aged kid’s homework. I’ve interrupted family dinners and probably their Netflix end-of-day rewind opportunity.

I’ve sent emails – awaited responses – while not fully realizing that coach was out at the football field at 6 a.m. to hold a practice in preparation for a season, taught all day, held another team event that afternoon and then was back for their kid’s event in the evening.

I’ve even texted coaches on their vacations for a quick interview or to get a phone number I needed.

I am so thankful I’ve built enough of a relationship with most to have those phone calls answered. I know most coaches understand that’s “part of the deal” of being a high school varsity coach, but it’s a balance that’s not easily maintained. Those of us in media genuinely appreciate it.

And, I can promise them: To their athletes, those sacrifices means the world right now. If it doesn’t completely register in the present, it may in 10-15 years when they have their own kids one day.

Yes, we’re all busy in our own right. I’m not alone in that. Believe me. But, it sinks in a little deeper each time I attend a sporting event.

This next three week stretch will be unlike any other I’ve been professionally apart of: softball, baseball, track, girls and boys soccer, football, wrestling and God knows what else are all firing off at different stages.
I don’t know how many ‘thank-yous’ coaches are getting nowadays, but I try to make it a point to say ‘thank-you’ for access to their program.

Whether your kid’s sport ends in two weeks or is just starting up, I hope the first words out of many’s mouths to their coaches are:

“Thank-you.”

Why I wrote it

Our Shaw Local digital editor, John Sahly, approached me a few months ago about writing a weekly column/newsletter that would be emailed to readers. The focus would be about my experiences in the field and bringing my collective body of work from that given week to readers that way.

As for why I specifically wrote this piece, in some ways, I was writing to myself. It’s almost like I wrote it in a personal journal and presumambly hundreds of people happened to read it over my shoulder. I think the piece paints an accurate picture of what life is like for all of us as journalists, no matter what beat we have. We all have various sources and I’m sure every one of us has interuppted their family dinners and whatever else so we can do our jobs. I tried to open a window for readers as to what doing this job is like.

Yet, in the big picture, I really wanted to reach parents. I stand on the sidelines and I overhear criticism towards coaches for a given play call, how one juggles playing time or whatever. That’s part of the territory and the nature of the job, but I wondered how many that are saying those things truly took the time to consider the whole context of the season(s). I think some of those things become a little less significant once you peel back those layers a bit. As for specific reactions I had, truthfully, not much outside of a few people. I give a sneak peek of what I wrote on Twitter to entice people to sign-up. “Likes” on Twitter from a few coaches’ parents and spouses told me plenty.

By Joy Mayer, Founder and Director of Trusting News

Originally published on Trusting News Medium

Only four in 10 Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the news media. That’s according to Gallup, where they’ve been asking that question since 1972. Forty percent is bad, but it’s actually higher than it was in 2016, when the number was 32 percent.

You know what’s not better? The way those numbers shake out along political lines. There is a record 63-percentage-point gap in trust between Democrats and Republicans.

Only 10 percent of Republicans report generally trusting what they see in the news. Here’s Gallup’s breakdown over time.

Other data paint a slightly less grim picture. But in general, the theme is a familiar one across research teams, in newsrooms, and with people who moderate comment sections (who probably deserve a raise):

Conservatives increasingly feel like the news is not made for people like them or by people like them.

Often, when journalists talk about this phenomenon, the conversation focuses on the people in comment sections who choose conspiracy theories over facts and think journalists are the enemy of the people. Those people are definitely out there, and it’s unlikely they’ll be converted into your fans anytime soon. They are not the focus of our work at Trusting News.

But do 90 percent of Republicans fall into that camp? Of course not. Many genuinely want to be informed but feel disenfranchised by news outlets. A Gallup/Knight survey this year found that 81 percent of Americans say the news media is “critical” (42%) or “very important” (39%) to democracy. The majority say accurate, fair news reports are important for keeping them informed and holding leaders accountable. They also perceive political bias in the news and say that’s a problem.

Many also believe newsrooms need to increase political diversity on staff. It’s an issue that’s not discussed directly in a lot of newsrooms, but few would disagree that in addition to being much more white, educated and wealthy than the people they aim to serve, newsrooms are also more liberal. (Here’s Nate Silver’s take on the topic after the 2016 election.) Progress is not nearly fast enough when it comes to diversifying both newsroom staffs and audiences across other fault lines such as race and gender, of course, and plenty more hard conversations, self-reflection and action are needed there. Political leanings should be part of the conversation.

When it comes to how the news industry should address this trust chasm with conservatives, I have many more questions than answers. (I also recognize that a label like “conservative” is tricky and is not interchangeable with “Republican” — we need to be careful with language.) But I do feel strongly that we’re overdue for a thoughtful conversation about this issue.

We need to be asking things like:

• Are we listening to conservative audiences to understand what they’re looking for from the news?
• Are we committed to reflecting diversity of thought and perspective across our communities, and to hosting conversations that bridge those divides?
• Are we aware enough of the diversity of political thought (or lack of it) in our newsrooms (and our Twitter feeds)?
• Are we talking about any implicit political bias that might be present and how to acknowledge and compensate for it?
• Are we attempting to understand what signals of credibility conservatives are looking for and how those might be different from what we’re already doing?
• Are we considering how issues of bias are perceived not just in political journalism but in the ways we describe and reflect different perspectives on life in general?
• Do we understand perceptions of our own journalism and of any wire or partner content we share, and are we labeling and describing those types of content properly?
• Are we labeling and describing opinion content properly, making it less likely people will consume persuasive content but perceive it instead as biased news coverage?
• Are we over-relying on facts (and fact-checking) as a way to demonstrate our credibility?
• Are we willing to talk about our values as journalists and the value we offer our communities (and democracy)? Are we willing to tell a story about our ethics and integrity in a way that is compelling and authentic?

The bottom line for me is this: If we are to thrive in our service to democracy (as well as financially), don’t we need to address this more thoughtfully?

1. Vaccinations on the ground

Now that mass vaccination sites are up and running, get the view on the ground. How many people are signing up? How many doses are they getting? What do some of the newly vaccinated feel about the process? Was it smooth? Was it well-distanced? How tough was getting the appointment? Did they get help signing up, and from where? How long did they have to wait — both to sign up and to get the shot once they got to the site?

If you were among the lucky ones to get in already, this could also make a good column topic.

2. The underserved

We all know there are underserved communities. Which are prevalent in your coverage area? What are officials doing to publicize the shots? The sites? The sign-ups? You can introduce yourself to the work of the COVID Collaborative at https://www.covidcollaborative.us/ and the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project at https://covidvaccineproject.org/. Telling your readers may also help them understand the process of reaching out to the underserved.

And don’t forget the “unexpected underserved,” such as college and university professors. They aren’t considered educators in the same way that elementary and secondary school teachers are, so they aren’t being moved up in line for shots. But when they have in-person classes, they are exposed to one of the biggest “carrier” groups — college students who are going on spring breaks right now.

3. Services for Passover or Easter

Faith communities have been disrupted by the pandemic, but many doors — and pews — are already open to some degree. It may be unlikely that there will be 100% access in time for these Jewish and Christian holidays, but it could be a good time to review what the status of the temples and churches in your area. Are they offering online services? Do congregants need to sign up for in-person services? Check with local rabbis and pastors for details. And don’t forget to ask them for names of a few members who might want to talk about their plans for these holy days.

4. Ethics and accountability

These are vast issues the media can explore in smaller chunks. For example, do you (and your readers) know how much money has been allocated for vaccines in your area? Do you have the latest list of who is qualified for shots in your area? Is it people over 65 or 70? Is it first responders or elementary school teachers? How big is the prison or jail population in your area? Have they been vaccinated yet? Why should they go before others? (One potential resource for that question is NIU sociology Professor Fred Markowitz.)

And did you know that Catholic ethicists and theologians are being asked about whether it’s ok to take any of the vaccines, considering there has been use of cells from aborted fetuses in their testing or development? Some of your readers may not have the answer to that yet. Start with board member Penny Wiegert (editor of The Observer and communications director for the Rockford Diocese.) She can answer your initial questions and help you find local leads.

5. Reopening near you

Now that some are getting vaccinated, is it time to ease up on the regulations? Once Gov. Pritzker announces his plans, ask local health officials who are still coping with daily cases and deaths whether they think the timing is right. It might also be interesting to get the points of view of people who are declining the vaccine, as well as those who have received it. Are they feeling immune? Have they lost anyone to the pandemic? Why do they think it’s time to reopen?

Do you have better ideas you can share? Leave a comment and a link to show us what you’ve done.

BY SHELLEY HENDRICKS, Northern Star Adviser, NINA Board Secretary

At the beginning of the pandemic, much was said about the merits of working from home. Some people could even be heard saying they’d gladly never go back to the office.

I was not one of those people.

I can’t wait until I can be in a busy newsroom again. College media advising is all about relationships and mentoring. And students — now in the depth of the pandemic — need those more than ever. 

Life as a college student has its challenges during normal times. Life during a pandemic is anything but normal. And journalism? We all know how hard that is. So what do you have when you mix college life, COVID-19 and CJLS (chronic journalism-lifestyle stress)? 

• No money, mo problems: If it’s not difficult enough to operate in one financially troubled industry (newspapers), you get to operate in two troubled industries (newspapers and higher ed). Both industries were hit hard before the pandemic. Now newspapers have to contend with a shrinking advertising pool. Higher ed, already in trouble from dwindling state funding, has lost revenue as most students learn from home.

• All the work, minus the fun: Since the pandemic, however, the staff  has been working from home and diligently turning out photos, columns, editorials, stories without the camaraderie and cold pizza.
  
• Currently not in the office: The ubiquitous email response is made worse by not being able to walk to someone’s office to follow up.
  
• Growing readership: First-year students haven’t had to step over print editions on their way to class. We’ve found ways to get really creative with social media to find those readers.
  
• Recruiting: We count on summer orientation fairs to recruit new staffers to offset the staffers we lose to graduation. Because those fairs were cancelled, we are finding new ways to reach prospective journalists.
  
• Mental health: Universities are engineered to support students in formal and informal ways. Without a roommate to vent to or a counseling center a block away, students have a harder time coping with life challenges.

• Digital-only means digital-first: Many people assume college students could care less about the print product. Usually this assumption is made about news consumers. However, as creators, my students really enjoy the print product with all the satisfaction of putting together a beautiful photo spread or Page 1. The time it takes to produce pages often has stolen attention from the website. We’ve finally (been forced) to put our digital product first.
  
• Train to retain: People who find student journalism have a range of experience and skills. Some have worked at their high school or community college publications for years; others are producing their first piece. As adviser, I did much of my training in “stealth mode.” I like to strike up conversations about news, a photo someone just took, how an interview went — you know, the conversations that happen in any newsroom. I’ve had to rely more heavily on structured mentoring such as critiques, training sessions and weekly meetings.

That moment when you find a story you didn’t know you wanted, or needed, to read remains one of the beauties of flipping through the print edition of your favorite paper.

Such lightning struck me twice in two days recently, each piece speaking directly to NINA’s emphasis on community journalism this year. Both also fit into the classic themes every local reporter past and present knows so well — weather stories and obituaries.

I never met a weather story I wanted to do. A check of The Beacon-News archives will turn up a particularly snarky report carrying my byline from 2008 about a, get this, DECEMBER SNOWSTORM, that grizzled veteran news editor John Russell threw my way because I was the night reporter.

When life gives you snow, you can throw snowballs at your editor. Or, in the case of Post-Tribune columnist Jerry Davich, you write about plight of already weary postal workers trudging up, over and through endless piles of Northwest Indiana snow to swiftly complete their appointed routes.

Davich colors this story with anecdotes about mail trucks getting constantly stuck in the snow and a mail carrier who saw miserable early 2021 weather as a rotten cherry atop the resoundingly lousy year USPS workers endured in 2020. Davich didn’t let this play out simply as a slice of life column, he subtly turned it into a community call to action for residents to clear a path for the people delivering mail and packages.

Seeing past the obvious angles and resisting the easy takes is what makes for the best community stories. Clearly, Davich did something right to get me to read a weather story.

The obituary I happened upon speaks to the ultimate question we all face – how we will be remembered. Any reporter who spent time writing or editing obituaries likely had their mind drift in that direction at some point. We write so many stories about others, it just seems natural for us to contemplate how someone would tell ours.

Perhaps James Pluta thought about his story at points during a journalism career that spanned about 30 years. I didn’t know, or know of, Pluta until seeing the headline on his obituary that read “Veteran journalist ‘cared about the communities he covered.’”

Three columns wide and three-quarters of the page deep, Pluta’s obituary shares the tale of his award-winning career that started with the City News Bureau in the late 1980s, included a span working for UPI, and ultimately saw him serving communities throughout the west, south and southwest suburbs for print and online publications.

Pluta died Feb. 6 at the age of 56. Life isn’t measured in column inches, but not one line in the obituary felt gratuitous about his Pluta’s dedication to readers and generally being a good man. His friends and colleagues described him as friendly, curious, modest, an old-school gumshoe reporter and someone who wanted to bring “truth to the towns and people her revered.”

As much as I enjoyed the anecdote about Pluta covering a zoo event and a school principal’s arrest on the same day, it’s the adjectives used to describe him as a person and journalist that resonate deeply. If this one account of Pluta’s life and body of work is any indicator, he is an example of the impact a reporter can make in his or her community.

Take away what you will from Pluta’s story, but don’t underestimate the underlying theme: Everyone on the local journalism front continues to play a vital role as the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods, towns and cities.

The challenges for reporters and editors today are mighty, no doubt. That doesn’t lessen the opportunity you have to make a difference in your own way, just as Pluta did for so many years.

One of the advantages of being the old-timer on the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association board is that I’ve gotten to meet a lot of amazing people and seen many hard-working board members come and go. Sadly, along the way many have passed away or left the business altogether, but not before leaving an indelible mark on the organization.

Two perfect examples are John Etheredge and Jim Slonoff, who both retired from the board in January. Both, not surprisingly, are graduates of the journalism program at Northern Illinois University. I’d say both have more than repaid their dues.

John Etheredge was “prodded” into NINA service by Jeff and Kathy Farren, former NINA board members who were owners and publishers of the Record Newspapers at that time. John eagerly joined the board in 1992 and has never looked back. As the calendar page flipped this past month, John marked his 40^th year with the Record Newspapers, now part of the Shaw Media Group.

“As an NIU graduate with a degree in journalism, I was interested in serving on the NINA Board due in part to the organization’s strong ties to the university. It was a personal kick to return to campus — especially Reavis Hall — for NINA events because it provided an opportunity to catch up with some of my former j-profs and fellow j-alums.

“Soon, however, I found that serving on the NINA Board provided an invaluable opportunity to meet, get-to-know and network with other editors and reporters. Big paper, small paper, daily or weekly, so many of the challenges confronting our industry are the same, and it was great to be part of an organization that actively promotes and advocates for our profession,” Etheredge said.

John Etheredge will always be remembered for his dedication and providing the drive behind the annual High School Journalist of the Year scholarship program.

Part of NINA’s strength is its ties to high school journalism programs as well as that at NIU. Each year the Education Committee, which John headed for many years, selects a deserving future journalist to receive a $1,000 scholarship.

As John recalled, board members Lonny Cain, Rick Nagel, Cheryl Wormley and he were instrumental in formalizing the scholarship criteria and launching the program. Over the past two decades NINA has received over 585 scholarship applications and awarded just under $30,000 in scholarships to talented student journalists.

“I will always enjoy the memory of watching as the mom of one of our scholarship recipients broke down in tears of joy as I handed her son a scholarship check at Naperville Central High School. ‘See, aren’t you glad I told you to apply?’ the mom told the son,” Etheredge recalled.

Jim Slonoff is another seemingly life-long board member who has served as treasurer of NINA for as long as I can remember. If you’ve never been involved with trying to manage the finances of a not-for-profit organization, that’s not an easy task. Changes in the newspaper industry have made it even more challenging.

Jim is a 1980 graduate of NIU who served as a photographer, photo editor and managing editor of The Northern Star student newspaper. After graduation he joined the Hinsdale Doings, where he worked from 1981 to 2006 as photographer, production manager, associate publisher and publisher. In August of 2006, he and another former NINA board member, Pam Lannom, started The Hinsdalean, which is delivered free to the 6,500 home in Hinsdale – the only community it covers.

He has been co-owner and publisher there for more than 14 years. He and his newspaper have received many awards from the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Illinois Press Association and National Newspaper Association.

Jim has also been active for many years on the board of the Illinois Press Foundation, where he currently serves as vice president. He is also former president and current board member of the Illinois Press Association, in addition to his service to NINA. He is also past president and current board adviser to the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce.

“NINA was one of the first professional boards I was invited to be a member of. I was honored to a member of the organization and its board and look forward to its continued success,” said Slonoff. “The members of the board have a deep caring for the profession and do their best to support the industry. Our member newspapers provide a vital link to the communities they serve. NINA helps build stronger journalists to help further their mission.”

Other long-time NINA board members will remember the days in which awards for the annual contest were part of an almost day-long NINA convention at NIU. Traditionally, the board met for business, dinner and drinks the evening before. As treasurer, Jim Slonoff was always the one to pick up the check. Sadly those days are now only part of NINA history, and Jim will no longer be around to pick up checks.

When I was talked into joining the NINA board in 1986 by the late Marx Gibson, editor in Kankakee and Joliet, I never expected to cross paths with all of the amazing professionals I would meet at NINA meetings over the years. However, few served as long and with such a commitment as Jim Slonoff and John Etheredge. The organization is better for their service and will greatly miss their presence. 

I hope and suspect they will continue to turn up from time to time and support NINA in the years to come.

How is the likely low turnout being addressed in coverage?

What are some key themes being looked at when it comes to local government, school boards, and other contests?

The Northern Illinois Newspaper Association is hosting a one-hour session centered on the April 6 consolidated election, with the idea of sharing best practices and smart ideas for news coverage.

Here’s a chance to gather information from and rub virtual elbows with some of the best minds in Northern Illinois journalism — and come away with practical advice you can immediately apply to enhance your work.

The event has been postponed from its original noon March 1 start time, but we’ll update this article and send an e-blast when a new date has been chosen.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NINA E-NEWSLETTER!

Lunch Brainstorm Session: Elections

WHEN: TBD
WHERE: Zoom. A link to join the meeting will be emailed prior to the meeting to the address you provide below.
DEADLINE: To ensure you receive the link to join the meeting, please register below.
COST: Free

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Questions? Contact Shelley Hendricks at shendricks@niu.edu or 815-753-4239 if you have questions.