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Community Media Innovation ProjectFall 2011
wwTHE CHICAGO REPORTER:
CULTIVATING A DIGITAL FUTURE
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THE CHICAGO REPORTER:
CULTIVATING A DIGITAL FUTUREMedill Community Media Innovation Project Fall 2011
By Helen Adamopoulos, Patricia Hastings, Priscilla Kunamalla, Diana Novak,Donald Sjoerdsma, Brian Warmoth and Robert Wile
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
EXECUTIVESUMMARY......................................................................................3INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................4ABOUTTHECHICAGOREPORTER................................................................5AUDIENCERESEARCH.......................................................................................8WEBSITEREDESIGN........................................................................................13THEREPORTERSBLOG.................................................................................28 RECOMMENDATIONS:SOCIALMEDIA....................................................36RECOMMENDATIONS:COMMENTING.....................................................39RECOMMENDATIONS:ARCHIVES..............................................................42BUSINESSPLAN&REVENUERECOMMENDATIONS.........................43APPENDIX1:SEARCHENGINEOPTIMIZATION..................................52APPENDIX2:ADDINGFACTORSTOTHEDISPARITYMAP............53APPENDIX3:MAPSANDGRAPHICS........................................................55MEETTHETEAM...............................................................................................59THANKSTO.....................................................................................................61
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EXECUTIVESUMMARYTheCommunityMediaInnovationProjectclassatNorthwesternUniversitysMedillSchoolhasspentthefallquarterof2011examiningthewebsiteanddigitalstrategyoftheChicagoReporter,avenerableinvestigativebimonthlymagazinefocusingonissuesrelatedtoraceandpoverty.
Ourkeyfindings: ChicagoReporter.comhasasmallandtransientaudience,mostofwhomarrive
throughsearchenginesandleaveafterasinglepageview.
Theexistingsiteislargelyorganizedarounditemsfromtheprinteditionanddoesnotserveonlineuserswell.
TheChicagoMuckrakersblog,operatedbytheReporterontheTribuneCo.sChicagoNow.com,isagoodsourceofnewsupdatesonraceandpovertyinChicagobutisnotmaximizingitsaudiencenorsendingsignificanttraffictotheReporterswebsite.
ImprovementstotheChicagoReporter.comcouldsignificantlyexpandtheReportersaudience,extendtheimpactoftheorganizationsworkandaidinthe
developmentofnewrevenuesources.ThereportyouarereadinglaysoutaplanthatwebelievewillstrengthentheChicagoReporterbybuildingengagementwithonlineusers.WerecommendthattheReporter:
RedesignChicagoReporter.com,improvingitsappearanceandorganizingcontentinnewways.(WehaveexecutedkeyelementsoftheredesignusingtheDrupalcontentmanagementsystem.)
Improveitsemailnewslettersoitbecomesanessentialnewssourceforpeoplewhorelyonemailfornewsupdates.
MovetheReportersblogfromChicagoNow.comtoChicagoReporter.comandgiveitanewname,OnOurRadar.
ExpanditsuseofTwitterandFacebooktoreachyoungersocialmediauserswithanaffinityfortheissuestheReportercovers.
InstalltheDisquscommentingplugintoimprovethequalityofonlinecommentsandmakeiteasierfortheReportersstafftomanagethecommentingexperience.
RaisetheprofileoftheReportersBarberShopShowonChicagoReporter.com.
Developaninteractivedataapplicationfocusingondisparitiesassociatedwithraceandpoverty.(Wehavedevelopedaprototypeofsuchanapplication,whichwecalltheDisparityMap.)
Makegreateruseofalternativestorytellingtoolssuchasphotoslideshows,interactivegraphicsandtimelines.
Addstaffpositionsthatwillenabletheseimprovements:afulltimeWebproducer,aparttimephotographerandaparttimegraphicdesignerwithexpertiseindatavisualization.
Intheshortterm,werecommendthattheReporterseekfoundationgrantstopayfortheseimprovements.Overtime,webelievetheongoingexpensescanbecoveredbyincreasedindividualdonations,corporatesponsorshipsandevents.
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INTRODUCTION
BackinSeptember,theCommunityMediaInnovationProjectclassatNorthwesternUniversitysMedillSchoolofJournalismwastaskedwithformulatingrecommendationsforTheChicagoReportertoenhanceitspresenceonline.TheclasswassupportedfinanciallybytheChicagoCommunityTrust,whichsponsoredtwoMedillinnovationprojectsintendedtoimprovethedigitalstrategyforlocalWebpublishers.Prof.Rich
GordonselectedtheReporterasthefocusoftheclassafterconversationswithofficialsattheTrustwhobelieveintheReportersmissionbutthinkitneedsadigitalboost.Foranestablishedprintinvestigativenewsorganization,developinganeffectivedigitalstrategymeantthatwehadtolookatthebrand,magazineandwebsitewithanewsetofeyes.Wedeterminedwhothepotentialdigitalaudiencemightbe,andexaminedthewaysthisaudiencesneedsdifferfromthoseofcurrentprintreaders.Wealsofoundmanyinnovativeandsuccessfulmodelstolookatandlearnfrom,andreviewedreportshighlightingthewaysinwhichsimilarpublicationswerebecomingfinanciallyviable.Wecrunchedthenumbers,exchangedatsunamiofemailsandpickedthebrainsofsome
industryleadersatthe2011BlockbyBlockCommunityNewsSummit.Asthetermwenton,wereportedonourresearchandfindingsathttp://www.digiwatchdog.com.WealsoproducedawhitepaperNonProfitWatchdogNews:WhatsWorkingbasedonourresearchaboutotherlocallyfocusedwatchdogwebsites.Itcanbefoundathttp://digiwatchdog.com/whatsworkingfornonprofitwatchdognews/.ThisreportlaysoutacomprehensivesetofstepsforbuildingtheReportersonlineaudienceandincreasingitscapacityforlongtermsustainability.Asitturnedout,takingapartthewebsiteandputtingitbacktogetherwasonlythebeginning.Ourvisionincludesnotonlyavisualredesignofthesitebutalsorecommendationsfordatavisualization,blogging,socialmediapromotionandbusinessstrategy.Webelieveour
engagementplanwillgettheReportersworkinfrontofabrandnewaudience.
HelenAdamopoulos
PatriciaHastings
PriscillaKunamalla
DianeNovak
DonaldSjoerdsma
BrianWarmoth
RobertWile
December2011
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ABOUTTHECHICAGOREPORTER
BACKGROUNDANDHISTORY
TheChicagoReporterwasfoundedbytheCommunityRenewalSocietyin1972,inthewakeofthecivilrightsmovement,tocoverracialintegrationissuesinChicago.Ithas
sinceexpandeditsmissiontocoverallsubjectsrelatedtosocialinequality.Publishedbimonthly,itspecializesindatadriven,indepthinvestigations.In1997,itlauncheditswebsite,ChicagoReporter.com.Initscurrentform,thewebsiteconsistsalmostexclusivelyofmagazinecontentandisorganizedsimilarlytothemagazine.Themagazinehasapaidcirculationofabout400,withadditionalcopiesdistributedfreeofchargetoexpandtheaudienceforthecontent.TheReporterhasalonghistoryofhiringtalentedyoungstaffmembersandgivingthemachancetodoindepth,investigativejournalism.Thestaffissmall:aneditor,amanagingeditor,twofulltimereportersandapresentationeditorresponsibleforproducingtheprintmagazineandmanagingthewebsite.TheReporteralsoemploys
threeparttimebloggerswhoarepaidonacontractbasis.ThebloggersprovideastreamofupdatednewsfortheReportersChicagoMuckrakersblog,whichispublishedontheTribuneCo.sChicagoNowbloghub.ThedecisiontoputtheMuckrakersblogonChicagoNowwasdrivenbyadesiretoreachnew,youngeraudiencesand,potentially,newsourcesofrevenue.Atthattime,theTribuneCo.waspayingbloggersbasedontheamountoftrafficgeneratedbytheirblogs.Butrecently,thattrafficbasedcompensationwaseliminatedinfavorofa$50/monthflatpayment.
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AregularlyupdatedfeedofChicagoMuckrakersblogheadlinesandsummariesispublishedonChicagoReporter.com.Butifauserisinterestedinreadingthefullblogpost,aclicksendsthemovertoChicagoNow.ThismeansthatpeopleinterestedinthelatestnewsabouttopicscoveredbytheReporterleaveChicagoReporter.com,deprivingthesiteofattentionandtraffic.TheReporteralsobroadcastsaweeklyradioprogramTheBarberShopShow,
broadcastlivefromCartersBarberShopinLawndaleontheVocaloradiochannelandontheVocalo.orgwebsite.VocaloisoperatedbyChicagoPublicMediaasavehicleforreachingyounger,morediverseaudiencesthanthosewhonormallylistentopublicradio.TheBarberShopShowisalsoavailablethroughVocalo.orgasadownloadablepodcast.Thispastsummer(July5),ChicagoReporter.comwasrelaunchedonthepowerfulDrupalcontentmanagementsystem,whichprovidesmanycapabilitiesthatcouldnothavebeeneasilyimplementedontheold,custombuiltsite.OurrecommendationstakeadvantageofmanyofDrupalscapabilities.
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WEBSITEANALYTICSAlthoughChicagoReporter.comhasbeenonlinesince1997,thesitesanalyticsindicatethatthewebsitehasaverysmallaudience,averagingjust6,000uniquevisitorsand14,000pageviewspermonth.Bycomparison,OaklandLocal,anonprofitnewssiteservingOakland,Calif.,gets10timesthatmuchtrafficafterjusttwoyearsofoperation.
Oakland Locals website, just two years old, has 10 times the unique visitors and page views of
ChicagoReporter.com.
SearchenginesarethebiggestsourceofinboundtraffictoChicagoReporter.com.Thismeansmostvisitorshavelittleaffinityforthesite.BetweenJuly5andNov.30,almostthreequarters(73.8percent)ofthesitevisitorshadnevervisitedthesitebefore.Sevenofevery10visitsendedafterasinglepageview.TraffictoChicagoReporter.comwasactuallyhigherbeforetheredesign,primarilybecausethesitepreviouslyreceivedmoresearchenginetraffic.Theanalyticssuggestthatthebiggestreasonforthedeclineintrafficwasalossofsearchbasedvisitorsthattookplaceafterthesitewasredesigned.
Traffic sourcesVisits
7/5/2010-11/30/2010Visits
7/5/2011-11/30/2011Change
2010-2011
Direct 6,150 6,275 +2.0%Referring 9,397 7,840 16.6%Search 48,357 15,867 67.2%
Comparing the five-month period since the Drupal relaunch to the same period in 2010, the majorchange in traffic drivers has been a significant decline in search-generated visits.
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AUDIENCERESEARCH
RESEARCHAPPROACH
TounderstandtheactualandpotentialaudienceforChicagoReporter.com,wereachedouttopeoplewhoareinterestedinthekindsoftopicstheReporterfocuseson.WiththehelpofthenPublisherAldenLoury,weemailedReporterprintsubscribers,people
whovesignedupfortheorganizationsemailnewsletterandtheemaillistsfortheChicagoCommunityTrustandforBeanSoupTimes(awebsiteandenewslettercreatedbyToureMuhammad,ajournalist,comedywriter,andmarketingspecialist).Theemailsinvitedrecipientstotakeashortonlinesurvey,whichincludedaquestionabouttheirwillingnesstobeinterviewedabouttotheChicagoReporter.Fromamongthosewhorespondedtothesurvey,weconductedindepthinterviewswithatotalof30menandwomenwhoworkand/orlivedintheCityofChicagoandwerecurrentorpotentialusersoftheChicagoReporterwebsite.Theseindividualsrepresentedadiversearrayofages,ethnicities,occupationsandincomelevels.
Thegoaloftheinterviewswastounderstandtheirgeneralnewsconsumptionhabits,viewsonlocalnewsorganizationsandtheirusageandimpressionsofChicagoReporter.comandtheChicagoMuckrakersblog.WealsoincorporatedrecentindustrystudiessuchasNewsthatMatters:AnassessmentofChicagosinformationlandscape,(July2011),PewResearchCenterstudy,Howpeoplelearnabouttheirlocalcommunity(September2011)andAudienceSegmentsinaChangingNewsEnvironment(August2008).Totranslatethisresearchintorecommendations,wedevelopedprofilesforpersonaswhomightuseChicagoReporter.com.Personasarefictionalcharacters,orarchetypes,whorepresentpotentialcustomers.Thepersonaapproachiscommonlyusedinmarketingandproductdevelopment.Bybuildingaproductforatargetpersona,younotonlydrawuserswhoarerepresentedbythatpersonabutreachalargergroupofpeoplewhosharesimilargoalsorinterests.Awellexecutedpersonaprojectcapturesyourresearch,encapsulatesyourdesignrequirements,andhelpsyouprioritizeyourinnovativeideasandinsights.JaredM.Spool,CEOandFoundingPrincipalofUserInterfaceEngineering.Everydecisionwemaderegardingdesign,placementandrepurposingofReportercontentwasdonewiththesepersonasinmind.
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INTRODUCINGOURPERSONAS
EllenMorrisonisa63yearoldAfricanAmericanresidentofHydeParkwhoretiredfromtheU.S.PostOfficethreeyearsagoandnowfocusesonherworkasanartist.ShefondlyrecallstheReportersheydayinthe1980s.SheusestheInternetoccasionallybutreliesprimarilyonprintnewspapersandtelevisionforherlocalnews.Ellenlikesto
contributetocausesshecaresabout,includingtheReporter.Whenshedoes,shewritesacheckandmailsittotheorganization.Unfortunately,shesrecentlyhadtocutbackoncharitabledonationsandreconsiderhersubscriptionbecauseherfinancesarepressedduetorecentmedicalissues.
ElleniswhatthePewResearchCenterwouldcallaTraditionalist,whousestraditionalmediasourcesalmostexclusively.ThisisthelargestofPewsnewsaudiencesegments(46percentofthepopulation),alsotheoldestandthemosteconomicallydownscale.Itiscommonfornonprofitlocalnewsorganizationstofindthatfinancialcontributorsoftenarenottheheaviestusersoftheirwebsites,accordingtoGettingLocal:How
NonprofitNewsVenturesSeekSustainability(aresearchreportpublishedinOctober2011bytheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation).BecauseEllenisnotlikelytobecomearegularuseroftheReportersdigitalproducts,wedidnotconsiderherfurtherasapossibletargetpersonaforourwork.
TerrySteinbachisa56yearoldlawyerattheCenterforEthicsandAdvocacyinHealthcare,aChicagobasednonprofit.HedescribeshimselfasanactivehippieandlivesinAndersonvillewithhiswifeDebbie.Histhreeadultchildreneachworkandliveinthecity.TerryiswhatthePewResearchCenterwouldcallanewsIntegrator,someonewhointeractsprimarilywithtraditionalnewssourcessuchasprintnewspapersandtelevision,butalsogetsnewsonline.HiscurrentprintsubscriptionsincludetheChicagoTribuneandCrainsChicagoBusiness.Terrysmainmotivationistostayasinformedaspossibleaboutlocalissues,especiallyrelatedtohealthcare,ashisjobrequiresit.MostofTerrysinteractionwiththeChicagoReportermagazinetakesplaceinhisinbox.HesubscribestotheChicagoReportersenewsletterandreceiveslinkstoReporterarticlesfromcolleaguesandfriends.Heoccasionallyreadsthemagazineatwork,wherecopiesaredeliveredtohisoffice.HeiscurrentlyonlyanoccasionalvisitortotheReporterwebsite.Terrydonatesannuallytoorganizationsthatalignwithhisinterestsandvalues.HesupportstheHealthandMedicinePolicyResearchGroupandtheBoysandGirlsClubof
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Chicago.Heisopentogivingtootherorganizationsthatarecommittedtomakingapositiveimpactinthecity.
EmmaBryantisa24yearoldgraduatestudentattheUniversityofChicagosHarrisSchoolofPublicPolicyStudies.ShecurrentlyliveswitharoommateinHydePark.Sheiseagertofindajobwhereshecanmakeadifferenceinthecity.AsawomanofmixedheritageherfatherisblackandhermotherisCaucasianEmma
hasaspecialinterestinissuesrelatedraceanddiscrimination.
EmmawouldbedescribedbyPewasaNetNewser,theyoungestofPewsnewsaudiencesegments.ShereliesexclusivelyontheInternetashermainnewssource.EmmasthreefavoritenewssourcesareHuffingtonPost,theChicagoNewsCooperativeandTwitter,whichshereliesonforbreakingnews.Socialmediaplays
amajorroleinEmmasdailylife.Shefollowsherfavoritebrandsandnewsorganizations,contributestodiscussiononFacebookandTwitterandvisitssitesthatherfavoriteorganizationsrecommend.EmmaisalsoaheavysmartphoneuserandwillfrequentlypostinterestingarticlestoFacebook,TwitterandherTumblrblog.
Whenitcomestonews,Emmawantstogobeyondthebasicheadlinesthateveryoneknowsabout.Shealsowantstobeabletodiscusslocalpublicpolicyissueswithherfriendsandcolleagues.Becauseshecaressomuchaboutresolvingthesocialinjusticesplaguingthecity,Emmawillgivetocharitiesandnonprofitsthatmakeacompellingcasetoher,evenonatightstudentbudget.DanBurkeisa36yearoldstaffreporterattheChicagoSunTimes.HeissingleandlivesinacondointheWestLoop.Danhasakeeninterestindatabasereportinganddoesalotofonlineresearchtoseehowothernewsorganizationsmakeuse
ofdata.
Stayingabreastoflocalissuesandknowingtopicsinsideandoutiscriticaltohissuccessintheworkplace,butgoingevendeeperwithpoliciesandurbanissuesthatareunderinvestigationwouldgivehimanevengreateredge.NearlyallofthenewsDanreceivesisthroughtheWeb.LikeEmma,heisoneofPewsNetNewsers.OnhisnewiPad,hevisitstheDrudgeReport,theNewYorkTimesandvariouswireservicesthroughouttheday.Dansupportsselectorganizations,suchasNPR.DanknowsoftheChicagoReporterprintmagazineandappreciatesitsinvestigativereporting,buthasneverbeentothewebsite.DanreceivesmuchofhisdailynewsfromemailalertandRSSfeeds,whichincludetheCatalystChicagoRSSfeed.
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ErnestJohnsonisa44yearoldfulltimecommunityorganizerwholiveswithhiswifeand6yearolddaughterinGarfieldPark,wherehewasbornandraised.HismaingoalasanorganizeristomakehisGarfieldParkcommunityabetterplaceforhisdaughterandfuturegenerationstolive.Ernesthasfeltthestingofracialdiscriminationandeconomicinjusticeinhislifeandwantstobetterequiphiscommunitytorespondtothoseinjustices.Healsowantstobeabletokeepcommunitymembers
informedofeducation,housingandcriminaljusticeissuessoErnestdevotesmuchoftimetoholdingcommunitymeetings.Healsoorganizesandattendsproteststovoicetheneedsofhis
community.Ernesthopestorunforofficeoneday.Ernestisprimarilyinterestedinlocalnews,whichhemostoftengetsbyvisitingnewswebsites.Healsolistenstonewsontheradioandreadsthenewspapereachmorning.PewwouldconsiderhimtobeanIntegrator.Ernestfrequentlycommentsonarticlesthroughnewssitesandsocialmedia,especiallywhenanarticleisbiasedorinaccurate.ErnestreadstheChicagoReporteranddeeplyappreciatesitsinvestigativework.Hewishesmorepeopleknewabouttheworktheydo.
AndrewRamirezisa31yearoldsocialscienceteacheratCamposHighSchoolinHumboldtPark,whichisalsowhereheliveswithhiswifeandtwochildren.Becauseofhissenseofhumorandabilitytorelatetohisstudents,AndrewistheteachereverysophomoreatCamposhopestohave.Asanewsconsumer,Andrewwantstoknowasmuchashecanaboutthecommunitiesthatheservesasateacher.Hecaresdeeplyabouthisstudentsandwantstoknowwhatkindsofissuestheyfacewhentheywalkoutofschooleachday.
Andrewalsostaysontopofnationalandlocalcoverageofeducationissues,suchaseducationreform.AndrewhasheardabouttheChicagoReporterfromhiscolleaguesandhasvisitedthewebsiteahandfuloftimestofindparticularstoriesthatfocusedoneducationissues.Hehasnevercomeacrosstheprintpublication.AndrewsfavoritenewssourcesareChicagoBreakingNews.com,GapersBlock.com,soPewwouldconsiderhimaNetNewser.HesalsoaregularlistenertoWBEZradiowhenheisinthecar.
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OURPRIMARYPERSONAS
WeselectedTerryandEmmaasourprimarypersonasfordevelopingtheReportersdigitalproducts.OurrationalewasthatTerryandEmmaaretypesofuserswhoshouldbeusersoftheseproducts,andaredistinctenoughfromeachothertoencompassawiderangeofonlinenewsconsumptionbehaviors.BycreatingawebsitethatmeetstheneedsandmotivationsoftheseTerryandEmma,webelievedtheChicagoReportercouldalsomeetmanyoftheneedsofothertypesofusersaswell.
Terry and Emma are in the center of the bulls-eye for the Chicago Reporters digital products. If theReporter meets their needs for online news and information, it will also satisfy many of the needs of
Ernest, Andrew and Dan.
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WEBSITEREDESIGN
REDESIGNAPPROACHTheexistingChicagoReporter.comsiteislargelyorganizedarounditemsfromtheprintedition.Thehomepagefeaturesarotatingseriesofmainfeaturestoriesfrompreviousissues.BelowthisarelinkstoChicagoMuckrakersblogpostsonChicagoNow.com.The
middlecolumncontainsamostread/mostcommentedmodule,thoughmanyoftheseendupbeingolderitems.Belowthismodulearelinkstopastfeaturearticles.Thewebsitewasrelaunchedthissummeronamorepowerful,flexibleplatformcalledDrupal.DrupalenablestheReportertopublishamorefunctionalsite.WehaveexecutedtheredesignontheDrupalplatform.Thenewwebsiteprototypecanbefoundathttp://reporter.markroyko.com.(ContactProf.RichGordonorMarkRoyko,theReportersWebdeveloper,forlogin/passwordinformation.)Wevebuiltfunctioningversionsofthehomepage,articlepages,topicsectionpages,andblogpages.Whiletheredesignedsiteisnotyetfullyfunctional,webelievewehaveprovidedthekeyfoundationalstepsneededtorelaunchthesitewithitsnewdesign.
WeconstructedtheReportersnewhomeandarticlepagesbasedonhowourpersonaswerelikelytointeractwiththem.Ourfirststepinvolvedcomingupwithiterationsofhanddrawnwireframesfeaturingvaryingelementsandarrangements.Ourdesignandusabilityleaders(HelenandPriscilla)usedthewireframestocreatethefinallayoutsforthepages,firstonpaperandthenasAdobeIllustratormockups.Aftertheteamfeltthatthemockupssufficientlyrepresentedthedesiredlayoutforthesite,weconductedusabilitytestingwithsubjectsrepresentativeoftheTerryandEmmapersonastoseeiftheirneedsweremet.
Inconjunctionwithusabilitytesting,wedevelopedaworkingHTMLmockupbasedontheIllustratorwireframes.ThismockupusedtheCSSframeworkBlueprint(http://blueprintcss.org/)forlayoutpurposes.Finally,ourdesignandusabilityleadersintegratedtheHTMLandCSSwiththeDrupalinterfacetocreatethefinalizedversionoftheredesignedReportersite.
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HOMEPAGE
Ourredesignofthehomepageretainstheoriginalsitesthreecolumnlayout,butthecontentemphasizeddiffersconsiderably.
Old
New
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HeaderandFooter
Weattemptedtokeeptheheaderrelativelyminimalandunclutteredwhilestillgivingviewersasenseofwhatthesiteisabout.OurredesignedheaderretainstheReporterslogoandtagline.Italsoincludesageneralsearchbar,asubscribelinkforthepublicationsRSSfeedandalinktothearchives.Emma,whofrequentlyconductsacademicresearchrelatedtotheReportersareaofcoverage,prioritizeseasyaccessto
thesitesarchives.AsidefromthegeneralRSSfeed,theheaderdoesntcontainsocialmediaiconsorlinks;weoptedtomovethoseintothebodyofthepage,wheretheyarecloselyassociatedwiththeircorrespondingsocialmediafeeds.
Wekeptthefootersimpleanduncluttered.Halfofitisdevotedtothestaffrosterwithlinkstomoreextensiveprofiles.WethoughtitwascrucialtoincludethisonthehomepagetomeetEmmasdesireformorepersonalityonthesite;thispointshertoinformationaboutwhothepeoplearebehindthestories.Therestofthefooterincludeslinkstothemaintopicpagesaswellasthehomeandaboutpages,sothatreaderswhoscrolltothebottomofthepagecannavigatetothedifferentsectionswithouthavingtoscrollbackup.Finally,werepeatedthesearchbar,archivesandsubscribelinksfromtheheaderforthesamereason.
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MajorElements:LeftColumn
Weoptedtoprominentlyfeatureonestoryforinstance,themaininvestigationfromtheReporterslatestissueastheleadarticleonthehomepage,givingitthelargestheadlineaswellastheonlyfullsizedimage.Thisissimilartotherotatingboxonthepublicationscurrenthomepage,butwedecidedtodisplayonestaticstoryatatimebecausesiteanalyticsindicatepeoplerarelyclickontherotatingbox.Furthermore,emphasizingonestablestorygivesviewersmoretimetoreadadescriptiveblurb.
Underneaththemainstory,ourdesigngivesthereaderanideaoftherangeoftheReporterscoverage,withstoryblurbsandthumbnailimagesfromeachmaintopiccategory,inaccordancewiththenewtaxonomyourteamdevelopedforthesite.Thecategoriesappearhereinsteadofinanavigationbaratthetopofthepagebecausepairingthemwiththeblurbsprovidesmorecontextandletsusersgetabetterideaofwhatkindofstoriesfallunderagivenclassification.Thetopicsectionsalsoincludelinkstooffsitearticlesrelatingtothatareaofcoverage.EmmaandTerrybothexpressedinterestinseeingaggregatedcontentfromotherlocalnewssources.WemodeledthispartlyontheChicagoNewsCooperativesDateline:
Chicagofeatureonitshomepage.MajorElements:CenterColumn
ThesecondcolumnemphasizesthemostrecententriesfromtheReportersblog.ThisismeanttocatchEmmasattention,sinceshehasahighinterestinblogsandsocialmedia.EmmaalsowantstoseemoreoftheReporterspersonalityonthesite,sotherecentblogentriesincludethumbnailpicturesofthebloggers.ThenextelementbelowtheblogfeaturesalinktotheReportersweeklyBarberShopShowradioprogram.Asignificantportionofouraudienceinterviewsubjectssaidthat
theyvisitedthesiteinsearchoftheradioshowbutcouldntfindit.Thenextelement,anImpactsection,containsanexcerptfromthemagazinesReporterNewssectionpertainingtohowthepublicationsworkhasmadeadifference.Aclearlylabeleddonatebuttonwithabriefpersuasivepitchandaquickandeasyemailnewslettersignupliveatthebottomofthiscolumn.TheseelementsexistprimarilyforTerry.MajorElements:RightColumn
Thisisthesocialmediacolumn,designedalmostexclusivelytomeetEmmasneedsasaheavyuserofnetworkslikeTwitterandFacebook.WemodeledthesocialmediacolumnonthenewsfeedFacebookimplementedintheupperrightcornerofitssite.SinceEmmaisanavidFacebookuser,shesaccustomedtolookingtothatareaofawebsiteforrecentnews.TheReportersTwitterfeedisatthetopofthecolumn,sinceitprovidesastreamoffrequentupdates,likethenewsfeed.Asevidencedbyourusabilitytesting,Terrywillprobablyignorethiscolumn,butitsunobtrusivesizeandlocation(aswellasthepresenceofothercontentthatdoesinteresthimonthepage)meanthatitwontdistractoralienatehimasareader.
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ARTICLEPAGE
OurnewdesignforthearticlepageaimstokeepreadersengagedwhilealsomotivatingthemtoexploreothercontentontheReporterssite.Aswiththehomepage,wedecidedwhatelementstoincludewithinarticlepagesbasedonTerryandEmmastoppriorities.
Old
New
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TopandBottomofthePage
InordertoserveEmmaandTerrysmutualdesiretogainanideaofthescopeofthesite,weincludedasimplenavigationmenuatthetopofthepage.Thisarticlepagefeatureservesthesamepurposeasthepreviewsectionsforeachtopiconthehomepage.Clickingonanyofthenavigationmenuitemswillleadreaderstothesectionpageforthattopic.
Onceareaderhasreachedthebottomofthearticle,wecompelthemtofurtherinteractwiththewebsiteinseveralways.Toinspirethoughtfuldialogue,thereisaboldedquestion;forinstance,Whatsyourstance?Doyouthinkpublichousingresidentsshouldbeevictedifamemberoftheirhouseholdischargedwithacrime?Wealsopresentreaderswithablockofrelatedlinksatthebottomofthepage,encouragingthemtoexplorethetopicfurther.Therelatedlinksfallintothreecategories:relatedstoriesontheReporterssite,AroundtheWeb/aggregatedarticles(satisfyingTerryandEmmasdesireforcuratedcontentfromothersites),andeventsconnectedtothearticletopic.
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LeftColumn:ArticleText
Weincludedseveralsupplementaryfeaturesalongwiththearticletexttoincreasereaderengagement.TheshareboxontheleftsideofthepageafewparagraphsintothearticlealsocaterstowardEmmashighinterestinsocialmedia.Weinsertedtheshareoptionsafewparagraphsintothestory(afterthenutgraph)sothatreaderswillhavealreadygotten
anideaofwhatthearticleisaboutbeforedecidingwhethertocirculateittoothersviasocialnetworkingoremail.Weaddedvarietytothearticletextbyincorporatingsidebarswithpowerpoints(adeviceusedbytheReporterprintmagazinetohighlightkeyfindings),maps,graphsandpullquotes.OurusabilitytestingconfirmedourhypothesisthatreadersfittingTerrysprofilewillfindtheseadditionstothemaintextinterestinganduseful.RightColumn:Blogging,SocialMedia,TakingAction
BecauseEmmaisveryinterestedinblogs(andtheReporterblogoffersthemost
frequentlyupdatedcontentonthesite),werepeatedtheblockofblurbsaboutrecentblogentriesatthetopoftherightcolumnonthearticlepage.Belowtheblogblock,weonceagainofferEmmathechancetoengagewithsocialmediabylikingtheReporteronFacebookand/orfollowingthepublicationonTwitter.WefeltitwasimportanttorepeattheseelementsonthearticlepagesbecauseofhowimportantEmmaconsiderssocialmediatobeaspartofheronlineexperience.ForTerry,weplacedtheemailnewslettersignupanddonationblocksbelowthesocialmediaelements.TheselivefartherdownonthepagebecausewewantTerrytoreadagoodchunkofthearticle(andbecomemorepersuadedthathewantstosubscribetoe
mailupdatesandhelpoutwithfutureinvestigations)beforeheencounterstheseoptions.
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TOPICLANDINGPAGE
Wedecidedtocreatetopicpagesthatpresentallarticlesfromthefivemaincategories:economy,education,criminaljustice,housingandimmigration.Userswillhavetheoptionofsortingthestoriesbyascendingordescendingorder.ThispagewillbeidealforbothEmmaandTerry,whomayneedtoresearchpolicyissuesforacademicorprofessionalwork.ThefactthatthesepagesarecategoryspecificalsotargetsoursecondarypersonaAndrew,whoisinterestedineducationarticles.
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MainStory
EachsectionpagefeaturesonemainstorythatcouldeitherbethemostrecentarticlepublishedbytheReporteroracoverstoryfromthemostrecentissue.TheteamdecidedtohighlightonestoryonthesectionpagetoallowtheReportertopointreaderstowardcontentthattheybelieveisparticularlyrelevantorimportant.RelatedEvents
Ontheleftsidebarsectionpageshaveablockwheretheywillseeupcomingcommunityeventsthatarerelatedtothecategorytheyareviewing.ForexampleifEmmaissearchingthroughthesectionpageforthehousingcategory,shewillseeupcomingCHAboardmeetingsthatshecanattendorresearchatalatertime.ThisisafeaturethatErnest,asecondarypersona,wouldalsogreatlyappreciate.Relatedeventswouldprovideawayforreaderstobemorecivicallyengaged;havingaplacetovoicetheirconcernscouldresultinpositivechangesforcommunitiesasawhole.ClickingontheRelatedEventslinkwilltakeuserstotheEventspage,whichhasabuiltincalendarthatuserscansubscribeto.
StoryForms
SinceourteammadethedecisiontoorganizeReportercontentbysubjectrelatedcategories,thedifferentstoryforms(NewVoices,whichwerenamedQ&A,andSpinoffs,whichwerenamedBehindtheNews)willbefoundonthesidebarofeachsectionpage.ThismakesitmucheasierforviewerstoidentifythedifferentstoryformsthattheReporteroffersandfindthemeasilyonthesite.SocialMedia
ForuserswhomightenterthesitewithoutfollowingtheReportersvarioussocialmedia
accounts,weincludedaFacebookwidgetthatallowsthemtoviewwhattheReporterhascurrentlypostedonFacebookandLikethepage.ThisisapriorityforEmmaswhokeepupwiththenewsthroughtheirFacebookaccounts.EnewsletterandDonate
TowardtheendofthesectionpageareblockswhereuserscansignupfortheReportersEnewsletterandcandonatetosupportfutureinvestigations.BothoftheseitemsweredesignedwithTerryinmind.Ourteamdecidedtoincludethemtowardthebottomofthepagetoallowuserstofullytakeinthecontentonthepagebeforedecidingwhetherornottoinvesttheirtimeandmoneytotheorganization.TheywerealsoeachincludedonthispagebecausetherepeoplelikeTerry,orAndrewwhoareinterestedinparticularsubjectsandmightcomespecificallytothispagetogetthelatestinvestigativenews.
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PODCASTPRESENCE
TheBarberShopShow,broadcastliveeachweekfromaWestSidebarbershop,isproducedbyVocalo.org,aunitofWBEZ.Currently,theradioshowiscompletelymissingfromtheReporterssite.Weheardfromseveralinterviewsubjectsthattheywenttothewebsiteinsearchoftheradioprogramandwerefrustratedtheycouldnotfindit.WerecommendthattheReportercreateafrictionlessprocessforuserstolistenand
subscribetotheradioshow,aswellasaccessarchives.First,werecommendapopupwindowindicatingwhentheshowisliveandfeaturingalinktoamediaplayer.Thiswillprovideinstantaccessforthoselookingfortheshowasitisbeingbroadcast,andcouldevenattractnewlisteners.Whilethepodcastislive,whilealsorecommendaflashingonaircomponentbeplacedonthetoprightcornertoattractuserswhomayclickthroughtheinitialpopuptogettoastorybutdecidetotuneinwhentheyhavefinishedreading.ForthosesearchingforChicagoReporterpodcast,wehavemockedupawebpagedevotedtotheBarbershopshowthatwillserveasalandingpageforthissearch.Thispagewouldfeaturearchivedepisodesandafunctiontosearcholderepisodes.WeusedthepodcastpagefromWBEZsSoundOpinionsasamodel.
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Werecommendembeddingacodablemediaplayersthatcanstreamaudiofeeds,includingliveones,ontothewebpage.Mediaelement.js,whichwrapsaroundanyaudiofeed,isthemostbasicamongthese.Alistofadditionalmediaplayerscanbefoundhere:http://creativefan.com/wordpressmusicplayerplugins/Alternatively,theReportermaysimplypreferlinkingtoVocalo.orgsplayer.
Finally,werecommendawidgetonthetopofthehomepagethatwillplaythemostrecentepisodeandcontainasubscriptionlinkdirectlytoiTunes.Forreferencepurposes,hereistheiTunesfeedURL.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/thebarbershopshow/id427824890
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TAXONOMY
Werecommendmovingawayfromprintfocusedorganizationofcontentonthesite.Drupalofferspowerfultaxonomy(categorization)toolsthatcanbeusedtosurfacerelatedmaterialadjacenttoothercontent.OnlineuserslikeEmmaandTerryarelookingforanexperiencethatdoesntrequiregreatfamiliaritywiththeprintpublicationbeforedivingin.
MainThemes
Wevelimitedthenavigationbartofivemainthemes:education,economy,criminaljustice,immigrationandhousing.OurreviewofGoogleAnalyticsshowedthatabusynavigationbarlowersthechancesthatareaderwilluseit,andourcardsortingexerciseshowedthatourpersonasweremostlikelytodivideReporterstoriesintoasmallnumberofcategories.SubThemes
Thisvocabularycomprises(1)themesthataresospecifictheywontbringinmorethan
afewarticlesayear(religion,environment);and(2)broadthemesthatencompassagreatswathofwhattheReportercovers(race,poverty,community).Everyarticlecanbetaggedwithasmanysubthemesasdesired.Usedwisely,thisvocabularywillbecomeagreatwaytodynamicallyfeaturetopicsthroughoutthesite.StoryForms
ThisvocabularyisarefinedversionofthecurrentDepartmentsvocabulary.Termshavebeenrenamedtobemoreunderstandabletopeoplewhohavenotreadtheprintmagazine(NewVoicesisQ&A,SpinOffsisBehindtheNews,CoverStoriesisInvestigations,etc.).ReporterImpacthasbeenmovedtoadifferentsectionofthesite.WebExtrasisnolongernecessaryunderthenewdigitalstrategy.CommunityAreasandNeighborhoods
Severalofourpersonas,especiallyErnest,areinterestedinthenarrativesofspecificareasofChicago.WeveaddressedthisneedbycreatingCommunityAreasandNeighborhoodsvocabularies.CommunityAreasisanestedlistofgeographicterms.ItstartsbydividingthecityintofoursectionsNorth,South,WestandDowntownandthenintothe77officialChicagocommunityareas.Thesecondvocabularyisalistoftermsforunofficialcommunityareas,orneighborhoods.Again,thevocabularyhasbeendividedintoNorth,South,WestandDowntown,butitsbrokenintoamoregranularandnuancedviewofChicagothantheothergeographicvocabulary.HereyouwillfindneighborhoodslikeCabriniGreenandWickerPark.
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TaggingandMetadata
Metadataisinformationstoredwithinastory:time,date,author,multimedia,etc.Atagisapieceofmetadatathatdescribescontent(astory,event,blog,etc.).AfewdescriptivetagsforOneandDone,forexample,wouldbeChicagoHousingAuthority,evictioncourtandonestrikepolicy.Readersdontseethetags,yettagsplayahugeroleinassociatingcontent,whichhelpsthereadernavigatethesite.
Manyofthevocabularieswe'vecreatedincludefreeformtaggingoptions,meaningastorysauthorwillbeabletocreatetermswhenheorshepostsanarticle.Oneoftheproblemswithfreeformtagsisredundancymostoftenhomonymsandsynonyms.ToensureyoudontendupwithbothaCHAandaChicagoHousingAuthoritytag,werecommendthatthesitesWebproducermonitorthelistcloselyandcombineanyrepeatedorsynonymousterms.Abloatedandimpreciselistoftagsunderminesthepurposeoftagging.
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THEREPORTERSBLOG
CURRENTAPPROACH
TheChicagoReporterscurrentblog,ChicagoMuckrakers,offersalotofwellreportedcontentthroughtheChicagoTribunesChicagoNowblognetwork.AlthoughitishostedoutsideoftheChicagoReporterswebsite,itsplacementonChicagoNowearnsitsome
attentionbeyondtheReporterscoreaudience.Atpresent,theReporterispaid$50amonthbyChicagoNow.ItscontractwithChicagoNowexpiresDec.31,2011.
MeganCottrell,MicahMaidenbergandSteveJohnsonwritearticlesthatcoverdailynewsontopicsthatmattertotheReportersaudience.Theblogswriters,inparticularMeganCottrell,oftentakeamoreexplicitlyleftleaningattitudethanisexpressedinthemagazine.TheblogprovidesaservicetoreadersoftheChicagoReportermagazinewhowanttoengagewiththeReporterbetweenissues.BecausetheReporteronlypublishesamagazineeverytwomonths,theblogiscriticaltomaintaininganaudience.Thename,ChicagoMuckrakers,hasalottodowiththeinvestigativetraditionoftheChicagoReporter,butitisslightlymisleadingwhenitcomestotheblogscontent.
OURRECOMMENDATIONS
Wehaveturnedtheblogintoafocalpointofthenewwebsite.WeenvisionitasthedrivingforcethatgetsreaderstothinkabouttheChicagoReporterduringthetwo
monthperiodbetweenissues.TheReporterhasalreadycommittedthreeparttimeemployeestotheblog.OurrecommendationswillmaketheblogareasonforpeopletoengagewiththeReporteronaweekly(orevendaily)basis,whichshouldsubsequentlyincreasetheearningpotentialofthesiteasawhole.First,werecommendthatChicagoReporterenditsbloggingagreementwithChicagoNowfortheChicagoMuckrakersblog.GiventheReportersnewpartnershipwiththeChicagoIndependentAdNetwork,traffictotheChicagoReporterwebsiteismorevaluablethanithaseverbeenbefore.Knowingthat,themeager569visitstothewebsitedirectedfromtheChicagoNowblogfromJuly5toNov.30isntaverygoodargumentforemployingthreebloggerstocreatenewcontentfivedaysaweek.
MovingtheblogcontenttoChicagoReporter.comgivespotentialWebaudiencemembersareasontovisitthesiteonaregularbasis,whichwillimproveitsvalueintheeyesofthereaderandintermsofadvertising.PuttingblogcontentdirectlyontheReporterwebsiteisawaytocapitalizeontheesteeminwhichtheReporterisheld.
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THENEWBLOG:ONOURRADARThebloggotatoptobottomredesign,startingwiththename.WechosetocallitOnOurRadarinanefforttotargettheEmmapersonaandappealtoayoungeraudience.Wethinkthisnamehasmoretodowithdailynewscoverage,theexistingcontentoftheblog,thanChicagoMuckrakers.WeneedtogetthewordoutthattheReporterisprovidingadailynewsupdatefromthemagazinesperspective.Thenewnameconveysanideaofeverwatchfulnessandawarenessofsurroundingsthatprovidesrealtime
contexttothelargerinvestigationswithinthemagazine.Thecurrentnamemightbeconstruedasjournalismjargonandsomewhatoldfashioned.WebelieveEmmaismorelikelytoengagewiththeonlineportionoftheReporterscontent,andwerecommendthenamechangeinanefforttoreachouttoher.Thelogo,designedbylocalgraphicartistDannySpitzerCohn,highlightsthemeaningoftheradarandtheblogsChicagofocus.Byusingthetraditionalgreenradar,wearealsoaddingsomemuchneededcolortothehomepageandcatchingthereaderseye.Theskylineportionofthelogo,whichwillappearontheblogsmainpage,remindsthereaderthatthefocusisalwaysonChicago.
Wedontfeelsubstantialchangestotheblogscontentandtonenecessary.WedorecommendtheuseofanAboutboxtoclearlydescribewhatthereadercanexpect.InoursampleAboutinourblogpagemockup,wehighlightboththedailyupdatesandthetoneoftheblog,anelementwefeelneedstobeexpressed.Currently,thebloghasadefiniteleftleaningattitude,whichissomethingthatwethinkmightappealtotheEmmapersona.However,itneedstobecleartoanypotentialreadersthatthereisaconsciousdecisiontowritewithadistinctopinionandtheplaceforthatisintheAboutsection.
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DATA:THEDISPARITYMAP
DATAAPPLICATIONSONWATCHDOGSITES
Ourindustryresearchshowedthatnewsorganizationsneedtogobeyondtraditionalstorytellingformatstosucceedinthedigitalage.SincetheReporterisadatadrivenpublication,providingdataapplicationstoillustrateinformationwillengageaudiences
innewways.SometimesshowingisbetterthantellingespeciallywhenitcomestothecomplicatedissuestheReportercovers.Somepeoplearevisuallearnersandgainqualitativeunderstandingofinformationfromdatavisualization.Evenforpeoplewhoarentvisuallearners,datavisualizationisstillacriticaltooltounderstandingcomplex,connectedinformation.
Wellcrafteddatavisualizationcanbringmorevaluetoanewsorganization.Forexample,digitalwatchdognewsorganizationTheBayCitizencreatedtheBicycleAccidentTracker.TheWebbasedappincorporatesmaps,charts,dataandusersubmittedinfotoprovideaninteractiveresourceforsomeonewantingtolearnaboutbikeaccidentsaroundSanFrancisco.Peoplereturntothisapplicationagainandagainbecauseithaslonglastingvalue.Thatrepeatedinteractionbringsmoretraffictoyoursite,makingitmoreattractivetoadvertisersandsponsors.
INTRODUCING:THEDISPARITYMAP
TheDisparityMapcomparesthe77Chicagocommunityareasintermsofrace,poverty,income,housingandeducation.ThemapissegmentedbycommunityareabecausethisisacommonwayfortheReportertoanalyzedatabasedonsectionsofthecity.ItisalsocommonlyusedbytheCityofChicagofordatagatheringandanalysis.Furthermore,itiseasytoaggregateU.S.Censusdatabycommunityarea.
Inadditiontovisuallyrepresentingthisdata,theDisparityMapranksthecommunitiesfrommosttoleastdisadvantaged.Theprototypeoftheapplicationcanbefoundathttp://map.medill.co.Itdrawsfrommultipledatasetsandcalculateshowtheyinteract.So,ifreadersselectmorethanonedisparitymarker,themapwillrerankbasedonwhatsselected.Bydefault,itdisplaysthecommunityareasbasedonthepercentageofpeoplelivingbelowthepovertyline.
Themapisnotonlyaresourceforreaders,butcanalsobeusedtovisualizeChicagoReporterinvestigations.ByaddingnewdatasetstothisapplicationtheReportercanquicklygaininsightsaboutChicagoandseetherelationshipsamongdifferentdisparity
factors.TheReportercouldaddanydatasetsortedbyChicagocommunityareasuchastheresultsofinvestigationsintoTIFspendingandforeclosuresonapartmentbuildings.
Thegoalisforreaderstogainanunderstandingofthedisparitiesintheirownneighborhoodsandaroundthecity.Wherearethemostdisadvantagedcommunities?Wholivesintheseareas?Howmuchdotheyearn?
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Anyiteminthefilterboxcanbecheckedandthemapwillchangedynamically.Thefilters weve built include the numberofresidentsbelowthepovertyline,thenumberofvacanthousingunits,householdsreceivingfoodstamps,renteroccupiedhousingunitsandadults25+
withahighschooleducationorless.Datacomesfromthe20052009AmericanCommunitySurvey5YearEstimates.Anydatathatisorganizedbycommunityareawillbeeasytoinclude.
Thecommunityareamapoperateslikeabasicheatmap.Whenoneor
morefiltersareselectedthenumberofpeopleinpovertyandvacanthousing,saythecommunityareasareshaded.Thegreaterthenumberofpeopleinpovertyandthegreaterthenumberofvacanthousingunits,themoreintensetheshadeofred.Itsdesignedtodrawfocustotheareasthathavethehighestlevelofthechosenfilters.Thesechange
automaticallywhenafilterisselected.
Therankingsboxshowsthetenmostdisadvantagedcommunitiesbywhicheverfilterorcombinationoffiltersareselected.Theyare
automaticallyrerankedwhenafilterisadded.
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Thelistofall77community
areas
isrankedbywhicheverfilterorcombinationof
filtersareselected.
DETAILS:INDIVIDUALCOMMUNITYAREAS
Whenyouclickonacommunitynameoroneofthecommunitypolygons,aninfoboxappearsthatshowsseveralelements.
Atthetopoftheinfoboxisthecommunityareanameandoveralldisadvantagedranking.Thisrankingisbasedonacombinationofwhicheverdisparityfiltersisselected.Beneaththatistheracialbreakdownofthecommunity.Nextispopulationandpercapitaincome.Bothareincludedforeverycommunityarea,butarenotranked.Thenaseriesofpiechartsshowthestatisticsandrankingsforeachdisparityfilter.Atleft,withthreefiltersselected:
PeopleinPovertyshowsthat43percentofthetotalpopulationofEnglewoodislivingbelowthepovertyline.
VacantHousingshowsthat26percentofthetotalhousingunitsinEnglewoodarevacant.
HighSchoolEducationorLessshowsthat60percentofpeople25andolderhaveahighschooleducationorless.
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FUTUREUSES
TheDisparityMapisamultipurposetool.Theappwasdesignedsothatpeoplewithrelativelylittlecodingexperiencecoulduseit.DatacanbeaddedtothemapbyaddingcolumnstotheGoogleFusionTablesbackendandbymodifyingtheJavaScriptcodetocreatenewcheckboxes.TheprocedureisexplainedfurtherinAppendix2.
WedevelopedtheappwithagoalofallowingtheReportertouseitforfuture
investigationsinwhichanalysisisorganizedbycommunityareas.Thishasbeenacommonapproachtodataanalysisinthepastforinstance,inlookingatTIFspendingandforeclosures.
Reporterscouldalsousetheappinternallytocomparedatasetsandidentifytrends.This,ofcourse,canbedoneinanExcelspreadsheetbutseeingthedistributiongeographicallymaygetyoutonoticetrendsyouwouldnthaveotherwise.ItcouldalsobeusedtoillustrateupcomingCensusdatareleases.
STORINGDATA
TheReporterdealswithlargedatabases,butoftenusesjustasmallportionofthedatacontainedthereintosupportastory.StaffersattheReporterhavetoldusthatworkingwithlargeamountsofdatasometimescrashestheircomputers.Toensurestafferscanaccessentiredatabaseswithoutanyblunders,theReportershouldbuildadatalibrary.Thiswouldrequirepurchasingmoreserverspacetostoredata.Fortunately,thecostsofdatastoragearedecliningquicklya1terabytebackupdrivecanbeobtainedforaslittleas$100.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:SOCIALMEDIA
CURRENTSTATUS
TheChicagoReporterhasaTwitteraccountandaFacebookaccountwithsomemodestfollowernumbersjustover1,000onFacebookand2,600onTwitter.TheTwitteraccounttweetsalmostexclusivelyduringtheBarberShopRadioShow,andonthose
daysmightpublishupwardsof20tweetsinaday.Ontheotherdaysoftheweek,thisaccountmighttweettwoorthreetimes.Thetweetsmostlyarefornewblogposts,butwithnospecificmentionoftheblogmakingithardtoknowifthesubjectisReportercontentorjustaninterestingarticlefromanothersource.Therearefewretweets,andminimalconversationandengagementoneitherFacebookorTwitter.TheBarberShopShowtweetsseemstrangeanddisconnectedbecausethereisnoleadin:TheReportergoesfromnotweetstomorethan20inaday,anditishardforfollowerstogetanideaofwhatisgoingoniftheReporterisntappearingintheirtimelinesmoreoften.
Liketheblog,thereisadefiniteleftleaningattitudetomanyofthetweetsinthelanguageused,theretweetsandinthehashtagsselected.ThisissomewhatinconsistentwiththeReportersdesiretoportrayitselfasanunbiasednewssource.WefoundthattheTwitteraccountdoesnottypicallymentionthemagazineoritscontent.Therearesomespellingandgrammarerrorsinthetweets,aswell.OnFacebook,therearealmostnocommentsorpostsfromotherpeopleontheReporterswall.AccordingtoFacebook,only13peoplearetalkingabouttheReporter.WhentheReporterasksquestions,theyareunspecificandfailtosparkdiscussion.TheReporterdoespostfairlyfrequentlyonFacebook,butshouldstrivetopostmoreconsistentlythroughouttheweek.ThepublicationshouldalsomakeuseoftheeventsfunctionalityonFacebookforeventssuchasthebimonthlyissuereleaseparty.
SOCIALMEDIARECOMMENDATIONS:THEPOWEROFTWITTER
TheChicagoReporterismissingoutonamajoropportunitytoengageitsaudienceandgetthemexcitedaboutthestoriestheyreport.OurmostsignificantTwitterrecommendationsaretargetedattheEmmapersona,becausesheismorelikelytorely
onsocialmediatokeepupwiththeReporterandsheprefersTwittertoFacebookforthatpurpose.WewouldliketousetheChicagoReportersTwitterpresencetopromotecontent,buildjournalistsbrandsandimproveaudienceengagement.Giventhesegoals,hereareourrecommendations.
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Promotingcontent
Tweetonaregularschedule,duringpeaktimes.ItiscommonlyacceptedthatTwitterusersaremostactiveintheearlymorning,midday,andlateevening.1Eveniftheblogpostscomeoutthroughouttheday,theyneedtobetweetedduringpeaktimes.
SetupatweetingscheduleforregularcontentpromotionusingHootSuite,andusetheirresultstrackingtooltocheckwhenyouaregettingthemostclick
throughsandadjusttweetingtimesaccordingly.Afterablogpostispublished,thebloggerneedstocomposeatweetfor@ChicagoReportertogooutduringpeaktimes.
Duringtheradioshow,tweetwhenitisstarting,indicatewhoisthereandifyouarelookingforaudienceinteraction.Livetweetingitthroughouttheshowcanfillupsomeonestimelinefortoolong,andifaTwitteruserisntlistening,heorshewontwanttoseethatmanytweetsaboutit.
Buildingjournalistsbrands
AllChicagoReporterbloggersandreportersshouldmaketheirfeedspublic,
promotethemselvesasaChicagoReporteremployeesintheirbiosandadheretostandardsoftopicsandlanguageusedthatareappropriateforanoutwardfacingChicagoReporterpresence.
Allbloggersandreportersneedtotweetduringtheirdailywork.Iftheyareoutcoveringanevent,theyneedtotweetsomethinglikeAttheChicagoPlanningCommissionMeeting,waitingtohearonX.Lookforablogpostlater!Mention@ChicagoReporterasoftenaspossible,respondtopeoplewhotweetatyouandaccumulatefollowers.
Allbiosshouldtoinclude:Retweetsdonotconstituteendorsements;allopinionsexpressedherearemyown.
Bloggersandreporterscanandshouldtweettheirarticlesassoonastheycome
out.Theydonotneedtoadheretothepeaktimerules.However,asmentionedabove,thebloggersalsoneedtowriteatweetabouteachposttogooutontheChicagoReporterduringpeaktimes.
AUDIENCEENGAGEMENT
TheReportercantakeanumberofstepstoenhancedirectengagementwithreaders.Thestaffshouldrespondtopeoplewhotweetwithquestionsorcomments.ThereshouldalsobeaninternmonitoringTwitterallday,stayingabreastofmentions;thisiseasilydonewithaniPhone,viaemailorthroughaprogramlikeHootSuite.StaffcanaskspecificquestionsaboutthingspostedtoTwitterandFacebook;avoidjustsaying,Telluswhatyouthink.ItsalsoessentialthattheReporterretweetrelevantstoriesfromotheroutlets,particularlyoneschosenaspartofthecuratedcontentontheReportershomepage.ThebestTwitterusersareknowninterlocutorswithotherpersonalitiesintheirgivenfield,
1Source:SysomosResourceLibraryhttp://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/
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andreaderscometolookforwardtominiexchangesanddebates.Letthereporter/outletthatyouarepromotingknowyouaredoingit:iftheyretweetyourtweet,itmeansmoreexposure.Wheneverpossible,usetheTwitterhandlesofthepeopleandorganizationsthatyouaretalkingaboutinyourtweets.Similarly,ifthereisablogpostontheReporterblogtalkingaboutamajorissue(likeOccupyWallStreet),searchTwittertofindoutwhathashtagisbeingusedandmakesuretofititin.AfinalnoteonFacebook.WhiletheEmmapersonaisunlikelytospendmuchtime
interactingwiththeReportersformalFacebookpage,manyreporterstodayleverageofficialpages(separatefromtheirpersonalaccounts)foryetanothereffectiveinteractionchannel.Thesavviestreporterspostwhatmightbecalledouttakestodrawinfollowers:tongueincheekmessages,interestingoramusingphotosandothermaterialtooinformalforpublishing(butnottoocandidforposting!).Mostimportantly,theyinterspersethismaterialwithlinkstoactualstories,boostingtraffic.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:COMMENTING
TheReporterenjoysalivelycommentingcommunity,withmultiplethreadsoneachstory.However,afewofthesecommentscontainoffensivematerialthatthecurrentcommentingsystemrendersdifficulttoadminister.Theprincipalpersonaslikelytocommentonchicagoreporter.comareEmma,thegrad
student,andErnest,thecommunityorganizer.Ascommenters,theyhavethreegoals:Swiftlyreactingtoastory,engagingwithotherChicagoReporterreadersinarelativelyfreeflowingconversationandmaintainingadegreeofanonymity.TheReportersgoal,meanwhile,istokeepdebateonthewebsitecivil,andremovecommentsdeemedoffensivebyothersintheonlinecommunity.OurrecommendationsbelowbalancepreservingarobustdiscussionontheReporterswebsitewithmakingmanagingunwantedcommentsassimpleaspossible.
RECOMMENDATIONS
WerecommendinstallingDisqus.com,apopularcommentingpluginthatcanbeusedontheDrupalplatform.Disqushasanumberofadjustablesettingsthatcanbeusedtomoderatecommentstoagreaterorlesserdegree,andwithmoreorlessresponsibilityfortheReportersstaff.Italsocanbeeasilymodifiedtomakethepluginmorestylisticallyappealing.ForinstructionsoninstallingDisqusonDrupal,consulthttp://drupal.org/project/disqus.Werecommendrelativelystrictcommentmoderationsettings,whichwillalsominimizetheworkrequiredofReporterstaff.
Commentsdonotneedtobeapprovedpriortobeingpublished However,userswillbeencouragedtoflagposts.Ifapostisflagged,anemailwill
besenttothecommentmoderatorandDisquswillautomaticallyhidethepostwhilethemoderatordetermineswhethertoapproveit.
Commentscontaininglinksorimagesmustbeapprovedbeforetheyarepublished.
ShouldtheReporterchoose,thereisaprocessfortransferringcommentsfromtheexistingsitetoDisqus;itcanbefoundhere.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
ALTERNATIVESTORYTELLING
ManyactualorpotentialChicagoReporter.comusersarecommunityactivistsorteacherswhowouldwanttobringdatatotheirpeersorstudentsinaneasytoreadformat.Astrong,cleaninfographiccandoagreatjobofshowcasingtheimportantconclusions
drawnfromaninvestigationandcanhelpspreadawarenessaboutyourpublication.Weenvisionreaderssharingorprintingoutusefulgraphics.Theymayevenwanttobuythemifthedataofferedenoughvalue.
PHOTOSLIDESHOWSPeoplereadingnewsonlinehavemoreinformationavailabletothemthaneverbefore.AsNewYorkTimesMediareporterDavidCarrwroteina2010NiemanLabarticle:
Wehavethestream,afastmoving,evershiftingflowofbitesizedupdatesand
messages,Carrsaid.EverythingweveseeninthedevelopmentoftheNetand,
indeed,in
the
development
of
mass
media
indicates
that
the
velocity
of
information
willonlyincreaseinthefuture.
ConsideringthelengthanddensityofsomeoftheChicagoReportersstories,wethoughtwewouldgiveanexampleofawayastorycanbereimaginedforaWebaudiencethatneedsshorterbutstillhardhittingcontent.WetookAngelaCaputosNovember/December2011story,RazingHell,andthephotographstakenbyJasonReblandotoaccompanythestory,andmadeashortslideshowfortheWeb.Thestoryhasbeenshortenedsignificantlytomakethispossible,butthemaindatapointsarehighlightedinthephotocaptions.Theslideshowcanbefoundathttp://reporter.markroyko.com/razinghell.Slideshowsareamongthemostpopularitemsonmanynewssites,mainlybecausepeoplelovevisualizingstories.Wethinktheywouldbeeffectiveinstoriesthathighlightthehumancostofaparticularproblem.ForRazingHell,theviewercangetafeelforhowwidespreadtheforeclosureproblemisintheRoselandneighborhoodbyactuallyseeingmanyoftheboardeduphomes.Toimplementslideshows,theReporterwillhavetoaskphotographerstogetmanyvariedphotos.Thereporterwhowrotethestorymayhavetotellthephotographertogophotographvariouseventsorpeopletoproperlyillustratethewholestory,whichcouldcostmorethroughhoursofthephotographerstime.Throughtheslideshowcodewebuilt,anyonecanbetaughttoassembletheslideshowafterthestoryiseditedandthephotosselected.
DOCUMENTCLOUD
DocumentCloudisasetoftoolsforworkingwithandpublishingoriginalsourcedocuments.Itcanhelpjournalistsanalyzethecontentofdocuments,andhelp
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publicationsmakethemavailableonline.Makingkeydocumentsavailablewouldofferreadersacompleteexperiencewiththeinvestigativeworkyouproduce.Forexample,TerrymighthavebeeninterestedinviewingthecityhealthdepartmentdocumentsobtainedintheJuly2009WasteofChicagostory.
ONLINECHARTS
AquickandeasywaytoincludeinteractivechartsonyoursiteistouseGoogleCharts.
GoogleChartsisatoolthatallowsyoutoinputdataandautomaticallygeneratepie,line,columnandareachartsaswellastreemaps.OthertoolsincludeVidiandTableauPublic.
TIMELINESWhenrepresentingachronology,considerputtingtheinformationintoaninteractivetimeline.Timelinesincreasereadabilityandaremorevisuallyappealing.WebelievethattheHistoryofEnglewoodwouldbeamoreeffectiveandengagingstoryifputintoatimeline.WenoticedinGoogleanalyticsthatthispagehasheavytraffic,butpeopledonotstayonthispagebecausethelongblockoftextturnsthemaway.Amongtheavailableinteractivetimelinesites:Timerime,Dipity,SimileandxTimeline.
STORIFY
Inordertoengagewiththeircommunityofreaders,werecommendtheReporteraggregatecontentinadditionindividualstories.ContentwouldincludelinkstoReportercontentonoutsidesites,videosofinterviews,picturesofstaffmembers
atlaunchpartiesandtweetsfrominfluentialpeople.ThiscouldtaketheformofastorypostorblogpostthatdoesaweeklyreviewofwhattheReporterisdoingandthingsthatarehappeningwiththeissuestheReportercovers.Storifyisafreeservicethatcollectsthesepiecesofcontentandputsthemintoanembeddablestoryformat.
IftheReporterdecidestomaintainapresenceonChicagoNow.com,Storifycouldbeaneffectivetoolforaggregatingaregularupdateaboutwhatthepublicationisupto.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:ARCHIVES
Thecurrentarchivesdonotfollowthetypicalformatusedbymostestablishednewsorganizations.Theytakeupalotofspaceandincludealotoftext,whichcanoverwhelmyourreader.Wesuggestamoreorganized,intuitiveformatthathelpsyourreaderseasilylocatearchivedcontent.Theamountofteasertextshouldbelimitedtoacouplesentences.Also,thedate,authorandcommentcountshouldaccompanytheresults.We
alsorecommendidentifyingthetypeofcontent,whetheritsablog,storyorpieceofmultimedia.Anysortofpictureincludedwiththecontent,wouldshowupasathumbnailnexttothesearchresults.Tohelpreadersnavigatealotofcontent,wesuggestfilteringresultsbydateaswellassortingresultsbyrelevanceordate.Withthisnewstyle,youcaneasilyinclude10resultsperpage,makingyourarchivesmucheasiertoscan.
ExistingSearchResultsPage NewSearchResultsPage
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BUSINESSPLAN
&REVENUERECOMMENDATIONS
GettingLocal:HowNonprofitNewsVenturesSeekSustainability(aresearchreportpublishedinOctober2011bytheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation)saysnonprofitlocalnewsorganizationsneedtoactlikedigitalbusinesses,focusingasmuchattention
ondevelopingrevenuesasoncontent.Atthesametime,developingnewsourcesofrevenuesometimesrequiresmakinginvestments.TheChicagoReporterhasreliedforfinancialsupportprimarilyonitsparentorganization(theCommunityRenewalSociety)andonfoundationgrants,whichhavedeclinedinrecentyears.Itreceivesamodestamountofsupportthroughprintmagazinesubscriptionsandindividualdonations.BasedonourexaminationoftheWebanalyticsforChicagoReporter.com,andourinterviewswithpeoplefamiliarwiththeReporter,webelievetheorganizationsdigitalproductsrepresentsignificantuntappedopportunitiesforaudienceexpansionandfinancialsupport.
Inorder
to
take
advantage
of
these
opportunities,
it
is
essential
that
the
Reporter
significantlyimproveitswebsite,emailnewsletterandsocialmediapresence.
TheseinitiativeswillrequiretimeandattentionthattheReporterscurrentsmallstaffcannotprovide.Butwebelievetheinvestmentcanberepaidovertimethroughthedevelopmentofnewrevenuestreams.
STAFFEXPENSESOurlargestexpenserecommendationsareadditionalstaffmembers.ThefirstwouldbeafulltimeWebproducer,whichmightcostabout$40,000peryear.WefindthispositionespeciallyimportantsincetheReporterspresentationeditorcurrentlymanagesthelookofboththemagazineandwebsiteahugetaskforanyonetohandle.TheWebproducersprimarydutywouldbemaintainingyoursite.Otherdutiesincludepromotingthewebsitethroughsocialmediaandsearchengineoptimization,publishingandmanagingcontent,managingWebadvertising,collectinganalytics,monitoringstorycomments,securingthewebsiteandserverandeducatingReporterstaffmembersabouthowtousetheDrupalinterface.AWebproducerwithdesignskillscoulddesignpagesandmaketweakstothedesignofthewebsite.Theywouldworkwithreporterstomaketheirvisionforastoryarealityforinstance,byhelpingcreateslideshowsorvideo.Theircontributionswouldbecritical
toastreamlineduserexperience.Wealsorecommendhiringanewparttimephotographer.Weestimatethatagoodparttimephotographerwouldcostabout$24,000peryear.TheReporterscurrentstableoffreelancershasbeensufficienttofillabimonthlyprintmagazine,thoughwewouldnotethatmanyofthephotosarenotvisuallycompelling.Aparttimestaffphotographerwouldbebetterabletocollaboratewithreportersfromthestartofastoryandworkmorecloselywiththemtogetmorephotosandmorecompellingimagery.Photosarethefirstthingauserseesandtheyreflectyourorganizationsreputation.
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Photosshouldtellaspecificstorybygivingcontext.Ifastorydoesnthaveagoodphotoreaderswillglazeoverit.Infact,astudybyWebsiteconsultantJacobNielsenshowsthatpeopleignoregenericphotos.Thismeansstockphotosareignoredandcluttersites,whileusersengagewithrelevant,highqualityphotos.Usersarebombardedwithtonsofimagesonlineandsoyourphotographsneedtostandout.Ourthirdstaffrecommendationisaparttimegraphicdesignerwhowouldspecializeininfographicsorinformationdesign.Weestimatethatthiswouldalsocostabout$24,000
peryear.SincetheChicagoReporterisadatadrivenpublication,itscrucialtohaveexcellentdatavisualizationforboththemagazineandwebsite.Thegraphicdesignerwouldworkwithreporterstocraftstunningdatapackages.Theywouldknowthebestwaytotellastorythroughdata.Likegoodphotos,gooddesignincreasesbusinessvalue.Asyourorganizationgrowsanddevelopsitsbusinessstrategy,youmayconsiderredesigningyourmainlogo.Agraphicdesignerwouldtakeintoaccountthemissionandtoneofyourpublicationbeforemakinganysortofchangetoyourlogo.
EXPENSESLINKEDTOREVENUES
Asdiscussedintherevenuesection,webelievetheReportercansignificantlyincreaserevenuesfromindividualdonationsandevents.Inordertodoso,therewillbesomeadditionalexpensesfordonorpremiums(coffeemugs,Tshirts,etc.)andfortheeventsthemselves(spacerental,food,etc.).Weestimatetheseexpensesat$5,000peryear.Donorpremiums
Havinganexperienceorgiftattachedtoadonationwillmakesomepeoplemorelikelytodonateaswellasmoresatisfiedaftertheydonate.Theywillseethemselvesaspartoftheorganization.UsingamembershipmodelsimilartothatofCatalyst,theReporterssisterpublication,membersshouldbeoffereddifferentkindsofgiftsdependingontheleveloftheirdonation.Asabyproduct,promotionalitemssuchascoffeemugs,windowdecalsandTshirtsalsoserveasmarketingforthepublication.Experiencescouldbeanotherclassofgifts.Thesecouldincludelunchwiththeeditororadonorsfavoritereporter.Events
Hostingeventstakessomeplanningandresources.However,hostingsimpleeventsshouldntcosttoomuch.NextDoorCafisafreelocationtohosteventsoryoucouldconsiderhostingsomethingattheReporteroffice.Largerevents,forexample,afundraisingball,wouldcostalotmoretohost.Thesecouldbesponsoredbyattendeesorbusinesses,butwouldstillcostalotoftimetoplanandexecute.However,youwillfindpeoplelookforwardtoeventsandmaybecomeregularattendees,readersanddonorsfullyimmersedintheChicagoReporterexperience.
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OTHEREXPENSES
Werecommendpurchasingthefollowingdomainnamesthatredirecttochicagoreporter.com:
thechicagoreporter.com
chicagoreporter.org thechicagoreporter.org
Accordingtotheanalytics,thetoptwokeywordsvisitorssearchforarechicagoreporterandthechicagoreporter.Theseadditionaldomainswillhelpsomepeoplefindyourwebsite.AsmentionedintheDatasectionofthisreport,wealsorecommendthepurchaseofa1TBnetworkedharddrivetoenablethecreationofadataarchivefortheReporter.
REVENUERECOMMENDATIONS
WeseektomakeTheChicagoReportersustainablebyfurtherdiversifyingitsrevenuestream.Diversificationhasbeenthekeytosustainabilityforothernewsnonprofits,asthisgraphshowingrevenuebreakdownforothernewsnonprofitsdemonstrates:
The Knight Foundations 2011 Getting Local report shows that successful nonprofit news ventures
have a diverse mix of revenue streams.Inaddition,developmentexpertssayfoundationsarelesswillingthaninthepasttobedonorsoflastresort.Largephilanthropiesneedtobelievetheyareingoodcompanyinsupportinganorganization.Andfoundationsincreasinglywanttoseetheirgrantsas
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investmentsthatbuildorganizationalcapacityratherthananongoingsourceofoperatingfunds.TheChicagoReporterprintmagazinehasadevoted,longstandingfollowing.OurrecommendationsforimprovingChicagoReporter.comareintendedtoincreasethenumberofpeoplewhowillbewillingtodonatetotheorganizationandtodemonstratetoindividualsandfoundationsthattheReporterisincreasingitsreachandimpact.
Inthissection,wediscussstrategiesforboostingrevenue:
Improvingdonoroutreachandoutput Cultivatingcorporatesponsors Maximizingrevenuefromtheindependentadnetwork IdentifyingadditionalfoundationstheReportershouldtarget
IndividualDonors
Werecommend,first,thattheReporteraskfordonationstofinancecoverageofparticulartopicsorissues.
Thismodelincorporatesseveralsuccessfultrendsusedbyotherorganizationstoraisefunds.Kickstarter.com,forinstance,hasbecomeasuccessfulfundraisingventurefordocumentaryfilmmakers.Injournalism,thewebsiteSpot.Ususesacrowdsourcedfundingmodeltopayforenterprisestories.Independentandfreelancejournalistsgivedetaileddescriptionsofwhattheirstorieswillbeabout,andtheSpot.Uscommunitystepsuptoprovidemoney.Mostofthedonationsarefor$7orless,butthereareover6,500Spot.Ususers,andfewstoriesremainunfunded.
Mockup of a solicitation of donations to support reporting a story.
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WealsorecommendthattheReporteradoptamembershipbasedmodelsimilartothatofCatalyst,theotherpublicationfromtheCommunityRenewalSociety.Thisapproachencouragesuserstodonatebyprovidingincreasedbenefitsforincreaseddonations.
Catalysts membership model has six tiers.
Toincreasedonorsupport,werecommendthattheReportergiveincreasedemphasistodonationsanddonorsonitswebsite.Nonprofitnewssiteshavefoundgreatsuccesssigningupindividualdonors.Forinstance,theSt.LouisBeaconlastyearcollected$1.3millioninindividualdonations,andMinnPostcollected$486,000.Bothofthesesitesprominentlyhighlightedindividualdonationsontheirhomepages.TheBeaconalsohasmadeIBacktheBeaconamajorfundraisingcampaignslogan,evencreatingaseparatesectionofthewebsitetoprofileindividualcontributorsandwhattheylikeabouttheBeacon.Wethinkthisisanapproachthatshouldbeemulated
onChicagoReporter.com.
The St. Louis Beacons I Back the Beacon campaign profiles individual donors.
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CorporateSponsorships
FromtheUniversityofTexasPressadvertisingnewbooksontheTexasTribunessitetoChevronunderwritingprogrammingatthePBSNewsHour,itispossibletomakesponsorshipswork.IntheChicagoareaalone,therearenumerouscompanieswithvisiblepresencesandpubliclystatedgoalsthatcouldmakethemdesirablesponsorshippartnersforTheChicagoReporter.
Walgreens,forinstance,recentlyredesigned10storelocationsonChicagosSouthandWestSidestooffermorefreshfruitsandvegetablesaspartofanefforttopositionitselfasasolutiontofooddesertissuesincertainneighborhoods.AnorganizationseekingtoassociateitsbrandwithsocialorcivicmindedcausessuchasthiswouldbeacandidateforwebsitesponsorshipsthatmakeitseffortsknowntoanengagedreadershipinterestedinthetypesoftopicsthattheReporterfocuseson.CompaniessuchasIntelligentsiaandArgoTea,whichpridethemselvesonpromotingcommunityorientedvalues,mayalsorepresentnaturalpartnersforsponsorships.Wealsoidentifiedlawfirmsasacommonsponsoramongotherwatchdognewssites.
ThemoretheReporterexpandsanddiversifiesitsmultimediacontent,themoreopportunitiestherewillbetocustomizeanddevelopsponsorshipoptions.Inadditiontosponsoringpodcasts,videoandslideshowcontentanddatavisualizationtools,theReportermaywanttoconsiderlesstraditionalconcepts.Forinstance,specificstoriesorseriesofinvestigativereportscouldbeunderwritten.Sincewearealreadyrecommendingsolicitingstoryfocuseddonations,itcouldbeworthpitchingsponsorstofullyorpartiallyfundaprojectandbefeaturedalongsideindividualswherevercreditisbeinggiven.
Establishingafellowshiparoundaspecificstaffposition,suchasareporter,photographerorWebproducer,couldalsomakesense.KeepingtheReportersbrandandethicalintegrityintactshouldalwaysbeaprimaryconsideration,sincepoorlychosensponsorscouldpotentialerodebothinreaderseyes.Ifsponsorshipsareselectedwiselyandleveragedproperly,however,theycanprovideexcellentsourcesofrevenue.Onlineadvertising
WewereexcitedtolearnabouttheReportersparticipationintheChicagoIndependentAdNetwork(chicagoindyads.com).TheexistenceofthenetworkprovidestheReporterforthefirsttimewithafinancialincentivetogrowtheaudienceforChicagoReporter.com.WhenwemodeledtheadrevenuespossiblefortheReporterthroughthenewadnetwork,however,weconcludedthatthiswillnotbeasubstantialsourceofnewrevenueinthenearfuture.Forinstance,weprojectedadrevenuesbasedontheseassumptions:
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Quadruplingofpageviewswithinthreeyears
A$6.00RPM(revenueperthousandpageviews)representingrevenueestimatesprovidedbythedirectoroftheadnetwork
Asteadilyincreasingshareofavailableadinventorybeingsold:50%inthefirstyear,60%inthesecondyear,70%inthethirdyear.
Withtheseestimates,theReportercouldexpecttocollectjust$5,000innewrevenueoverthreeyears.Morethanhalfofthatrevenuewouldbeinthethirdyear,sothereis
certainlypotentialforgrowthovertime.ButthisrevenuesourceisnotgoingtofundamentallytransformtherevenuepicturefortheReporter.Foundations
Foundationsthatareactiveinthenonprofitnewsindustryarebecominglessandlessinterestedinprovidinggrantsthatmerelykeepdaytodayoperationsafloat."We'vegonebeyondthetimewhenfoundationswerewillingtosubsidizecontent,"VivianVahlberg,aprojectdirectorattheChicagoCommunityTrustsCommunityNewsMattersprogram,toldusinaninterview.
Thiswidespreadattitudeamongfoundationsappliestonewsorganizationsofallsizes,includingThePBSNewsHour,whichrecentlyfailedtoreceivearenewedroundoffundingfromtheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation.KnightprovidedcashwhentheNewsHourupdateditswebsitein2009,butbalkedatsubsequentgrantrequestin2011thatdidnotprovideenoughnewideas.However,foundationsareinterestedinhelpingnewandestablishednewsoutletsevolveintomoresustainableoperations.Approachingfoundationswithgrantrequeststhatarticulateclearpathstofuturesustainabilityproducethebestresults.Developingnewrevenuestreamsanddiversifyingincomecanplayanimportantroleinconvincingfoundationstofundtheseinitiatives.Wereinterestedinnewanddifferentwaysofdoingthings,becauseonethingyoucansayaboutthefutureofnewsisitsnotgoingtobethesame,EricNewton,asenioradvisortothepresidentoftheKnightFoundation,toldTheNewYorkTimes.Folkswhocanbenimbleandchangearegoingtodobetterinthefuturethanthosewhoareslowtochange.AccordingtoNewton,whopraisedthequalityofworkbeingdoneontheNewsHour,theirrequestinvolvedmoreofwhattheyusuallydoatatimewhenKnightisinterestedinleadingedgeprojects.TopayforthecostsofincreasingtheaudienceandimpactoftheReportersdigitalproducts,werecommendthattheorganizationapproachfoundationsthatbelieveinthemissionoftheReporter,suchastheMacArthurFoundation,theDriehausFoundationandtheChicagoCommunityTrust.TheReportershouldseekthisfundingasaninvestmentthatcanbepaidbackwithincreasedindividualdonations,sponsorships,advertisingandevents.
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Events
Eventshelptocreateacommunityaroundyourpublicationandturnbeingasupporteranexperienceratherthanachore.AspeopleengagewiththeChicagoReporterandthestaffbehindit,theywillfeelmoreinvestedintheorganization.Asyoumakethenewsprocessmoretransparentandinteractive,readerswillwanttogiveback.Otheraudienceengagementbenefitsofaddingeventsinclude:
Buildingrelationships Furtheringyourorganizationsreputation Generatingpositivepublicity Reachingnewpeople
Eventscandiversifyyourrevenuestreamsinceyoucanchargeforeventsorsolicitdonations.Tostart,wesuggestmakingsmalleventsfree,butaskingfordonationsatthedoor.Astheseeventsbecomemoreestablished,youcouldstartchargingandincludingguestspeakers.Eventscancomeinavarietyofforms.Welookedatseveralnonprofitnews
organizationsthatholdsuccessful,profitableevents.TheTexasTribunehostseventsaboutfourtofivetimespermonth.Theyfeaturestatelegislators,companyexecutives,authorsandothertopicalspeakerswhodiscusscurrentissuesinTexas.Theconversationsareusuallyheldinthemorningorafterwork.TheSt.LouisBeaconalsohostmorningcurrenteventdiscussionscalledBeaconandEggs.WesuggesttheChicagoReporterhostmonthlyforumstodiscusscurrentevents.YoucouldevenuseafreeeventspacecalledtheNextDoorCaf,whichwouldlimitexpensestofood.SpeakerscouldincludetheReporterstaffaswellasanyinfluentialpeoplewhomaywanttogettheirvoiceoutintothecommunity.Youcouldhaveopendiscussions,speeches,orQ&As.Asyouearnmorerevenuewesuggesthostingeventsatamoreformalvenue,suchastheHaroldWashingtonLibraryoralocallounge,anddiversifyingthetypesofevents.MinnPostholdsalarge,yearlyeventcalledtheMinnPostRoast,wheretheorganizationroastslocaljournalistsandpoliticiansonAprilFoolsDay.MinnPosthostsasilentauctionduringthiseventandhassponsorsprovidethefoodandbeverages.ThePostheavilypromotestheeventandtellsreaderswhichlocalcelebritiesarescheduledtocome.Theyalsolistwhothebiggestsponsorsare.
INVESTIGATIVE
NEWS
NETWORK
TheChicagoReportershouldstrivetobepartofthegrowingonlineinvestigativenewscommunityinordertoaccesspromotionalsupportfromotheroutlets.Tostart,theReportercanfollowinthefootstepsofCatalystandjointheInvestigativeNewsNetwork,agroupofinvestigativememberorganizationsdedicatedtoincreasingtheimpactofinvestigativestoriesandpromotingsustainablenonprofitorganizations.
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TheChicagoReporterisadefinitecandidateforINNandwouldderivevaluefromtheorganizationsmembershipbenefits.Tojoin,theReportermustbecompletelytransparentaboutitsfundingwhichwillbepossiblethroughthemodelswerecommendedfordonations.Themagazinemustalsobeclearlynonpartisanandwhilewerecommendsomeopinionintheupdatedblog,wedosuggestthattheReporterdoeverythingpossibletokeepopinionslimitedtothatspace.Ifapproved,theReportersworkwouldbepromotedthroughtheInvestigativeNewsNetworksenewslettersandsocialmediaoutreach,andthemagazinecouldreceivenegotiatedgroupratesfor
journalistictoolsandINNawardedgrantfunding.Additionally,themagazinewouldbeabletonetworkwithotherinvestigativeorganizations,whichcouldleadtofinancialopportunitiesthoughadnetworksandotherpromotionalsupport.
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APPENDIX1:
SEARCHENGINEOPTIMIZATION
SEOBESTPRACTICESUsetagsaroundheadlines.Thiswillmakeheadlinesthefirstthingasearch
enginereads,whichisexactlywhatyouwant.Dontusetagsatanyotherpointonthepage.Googletendstoignoreinstancesofifitsusedmorethanonce.(Re)writeheadlineswithSEOinmind.Thesameheadlinesthatworkperfectlywellinprint(OneandDone,Despairoverdisrepair,etc.)makethearticleverydifficulttofindontheWeb.OneandDonehardlyindicatesyoureabouttoreadastoryaboutunjustChicagoHousingAuthorityinitiatives.AgoodSEOheadlineshouldincludekeywordsthatdirectlyrepresentthecontent. ExamplesofgoodSEOheadlines:Originalheadline:OneandDone
SEOheadline:Onestrike,youreout:CHAresidentsfaceevictionifarrestedonceOriginalheadline:DespairoverdisrepairSEOheadline:Whenlendersdontregistertheirproperties,taxpayersloseoutonmillionsinrevenueOriginalheadline:HipHopHopeSEOheadline:Youngpeoplefindcommunity,inspirationinUptownshiphopfocusedKumbaLynxartsprogramIncludetheoriginalheadlineinthemetadata.IfyourewriteaheadlineyoumightbeconcernedreadersoftheprintmagazinewontbeabletofindthearticleviaGoogle.(TheyaretheonlygroupwhomighttypeOneandDoneinthehopeoffindingtheCHAevictionsstory.)Ifyouincludetheoldheadlineinthemetadata,itwontcarrytheheftofanbutitwillbefindable.Whencreatinganewstoryfilloutthemetadatadescription.TofilloutthemetadatadescriptiongotothebottomoftheeditstorypageandclickontheMetaTagstab.Insertadescriptionofthestoryinthedescriptionfield.LinktopreviousReportercontent.Whencreatingnewcontent,besuretoincludelinkstorecentorevenarchivedstoriesthatarerelevanttothestory.Thiswillhelpboosttraffictoindividualpagesonthesiteandthesitewillbemorelikelytoappearinsearchresultswhenpeoplesearchforthoseterms.
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APPENDIX2:
ADDINGFACTORSTODISPARITYMAP
Openchicago_reporter_inequality_map_2.xls.csvinExcelandpasteinthecolumnsyouwanttoadd
Note:Each
dataset
needs
the
total
number,
percentage
and
ranking
with
underscores
separatingeachword
Towork,thepercentcolumnmustread_percentattheendandtherankcolumnmustread_rank
SavethefileandlogontotheChicagoReporterDataGmailaccount:
Username:ChicagoReporterData@gmail.com
Password:[INFORMATIONAVAILABLE
FROM
PROF.
RICH
GORDON]
Replacechicago_reporter_inequality_map_2.xlswithyournewlyupdatedversion(Tip:IfthisoptionisdeactivatedclicktheSignInbutton)
LogintoFTPfortheWebserverwheretheappishosted.Currently,thisismedill.co.Tologin,type
a) ftp.medill.coastheserverb) [LOGIN,PASSWORDAVAILABLEFROMPROF.RICHGORDON]
Click
Navigateto
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Rightclickindex.html,selectEditwithandselectaneditingprogram
Scrolldowntothecolumndatafromfusiontables
(Youcanfindthislocatedunder )
Copyalloftheinformationbetweenand
Pastetheinformationbeforeorafteralistiteminthisset(Note:Checkboxesappearinthesameorderonthemapastheydointhe.jsfile)
Changethevalue=valuetothedatasetscolumnnameinGoogleFusionTables:
Note:mustappearexactlyasitdoesinGoogleFusionTables.
Changethevaluetothetitleyouwanttoappearinthemap:
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APPENDIX3:
MAPSANDGRAPHICSSoyouvedecidedtouseamap
Beforeusingamap,askyourselfifthestoryyouretellinghasacrucialtietogeography.
ManyofthegraphicsthataccompanyReporterstoriesfeatureaninfographicthatshadesChicagoscommunityareas.OnewayofshowinganunequaldistributionofsomethingbetweenracesistoshadeChicagocommunityareasbymajorityracebeneathpointleveldata(minorschargedwithafelonyorsexoffenderviolations,tousetwoexamplesfromthemagazine).This,ofcourse,canbeeffective.Whenyouretryingtotellthereaderthattraumacentersaredistributedunequallythroughoutthecity,withtheneighborhoodswiththemostincidentsofgunviolencehavingthefewestcenters,geographyisatthecenterofthestory.
Perhapsthenaturalinclinationistoshadethecommunityareasbasedononefactor(majorityraceorincomelevel)with,asmentionedabove,pointleveldataontop.Ifso,thecolorpaletteforboththepolygonshadesandthepointsneedtobecarefullyselected.TheReporterusesdatatocreatestronginvestigativepieces.Itsoneofthetenetsoftheorganization.Sinceitssocriticaltothepublicationyoullwanttocreatestrongandcleargraphicsthatdrivehomethegroundbreakingresearchandreporting.Caution:Mapsarentalwaysthebestway
Sometimesamapisntthebestwaytoshowdata.(MattEricsonoftheNewYorkTimeshasaterrificessayonthissubjectat:http://www.ericson.net/content/2011/10/whenmapsshouldntbemaps/.Achartcanbealotmoresuccessfulatshowingarelationshiporcanhelpsupplementthevisualprovidedbyamap.Chartsarebestusedwhenthedatadoesntrelatetogeography,whenthegeographicdataismoreeffectiveforanalysisorwheninterestingpatternsarentgeographicpatterns.Forexample,astackedbarchartcanbeeffectiveatshowingpiecesofawholebetterthanthescatteredcolorcodedpercentagesonamap.Herearetwosimplewaysofvisualizingdatathatdontinvolvemaps:
Stackedbarchart:Astackedbarchartdividesthebarintopiecesthatcorrelatewithanamount.So,thereadersseetherelationshipbetweenthepart
andthewhole.Piecharts:Piechartscangetconfusingbecausethesliverscangetverysmallandbehardtoread.Also,ifyourejuxtaposingmorethanonepiechartsidebyside,itcanbedifficulttocomparethesizesofpieces.Piechartsarebestusedwhenyouareshowing23categoriesandthereisabigdifferencebetweenthem.However,labelingcangettrickyasthesliversgetsmaller,soabarchartisusuallyyourbestoption.
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Toillustratethebestwayofmappingdata,letslookatanexamplefromtheReportersarchives:
Inchoosingacolorpaletteshowingthatshowsracialmajorities,avoidcreatingartificialhierarchies.Thewhitethroughbrownunintentionallysuggestsarankingofraces.
Gradientsshouldonlybeusedtomapquantitativedata.Agradientshouldntbeusedtomapdemographicdata,becausethatindicatesthereissomerelationshipbetweenthegroupsalongthegradient.IfHispanicisgray,AsianiswhiteandblackpeopleareblackdoesthatmeanHispanicsareamixbetweenblacksandAsians?Noway!Youwanttomakeyourcolorchoicesasclearaspossiblesoyourgraphicsareasclearaspossible.
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Second,thecolorsaturationofthemarkersthatrepresentthoseinviolationandnotinviolationofparoleareroughlyequal,eventhoughtheimportanceofeachisnotequal.Yes,theinviolationmarkersshouldstandout,butjustasimportant,thenotinviolationmarkersshouldrecedeintothebackground.Itblurstheelementsofthestoryandmakesthereaderstruggletoderivemeaning.Examplesofsuccessfulpalettes
TheNewYorkTimesisknownforitsawardwinningdatavisualizations,includingtheirmaps:
MinoritiesinChina
Immigrationexplorer
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Thesemapsusecolorsthatdifferfromoneanother,makingthemeasytoread.Withdatavisualization,youdontwantreaderstohavetogotheextrastepanddrawtheirownconclusionsaboutthedata.Whilethiscolorpaletteisdistinct,italsoshowsagradient.Meaning,userscanlookatthisgraphicandknowthechangeincolorcorrelatestomoreorlessofsomething.
Successfulcolorpalettesfordatavisualizationaredistinct,complementaryandfreefromassociationwithanygroupordemographic.Thepalettebelowisraciallyneutralyetdifferentenoughtoshowdivisionsataglance:
Colorcodesbyrace:
White majority = #E900B6
Black majority = #04A4E0
Asian majority = #9BFB15
Latino majority = #FAAF08
No majority = #818181
Werecommend,forthesakeofconsistency,usingthesameshadeswhenmappingotherdatasetsbycommunityarea.Forexample,incomelevelcouldbebrokenintofourtiers.CommunitiesinthehigherincomebracketshadedredandvioletandthoseinthelowerincomebracketsshadedblueororangebasedonourinventoryofReporterstories,whenthecolorpaletteisappliedtootherinequalityfactors,itwill,ingeneral,reflectthe
racialbreakdownofthecity.
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MEETTHETEAM
HelenAdamopoulos
ProjectLeader/Design&UsabilityHelengraduatedfromEasternMichiganUniversitywithaBS
injournalisminApril2010.Duringandafterhertimeasanundergrad,shereportedontheartsandlocalgovernmentasaninternandfreelancewriterforTheAnnArborChronicle.ShemajoredininteractivepublishingatMedill.
PatriciaHastings
Content&CommunityManagement/WebTechnologiesandDatabases
PattycoveredpublichealthandmajoredininteractivepublishingatMedill.Whenshesnotwritingorcatchinguponhealthpolicy,sheenjoyscyclingandpracticingyoga.
PriscillaKunamalla
AudienceResearch/Design&UsabilityPriscillagraduatedfromtheUniversityofIllinoisatChicagoinMayof2010withaB.A.inpsychology.Sheworkedasa
marketingassistantatTyndaleHousePublishersinCarolStream,ILwhereshethoroughlyenjoyedexecutingmarkingstrategiesforChristianfictionandnonfictiontitles.ShemajoredininteractivepublishingatMedill.
DianaNovak
IndustryResearch/Content&CommunityManagementDianaNovakmajoredinreportingatMedill.Mostrecently,sheheldtheJohnCallawayFellowshipatWTTW11sChicagoTonight.HerworkhasbeenpublishedbytheHuffingtonPost,InTheseTimesandTruthout.com,aswellasinInventingArguments,anupcomingtextbookfromCengageLearning.SheisagraduateofTulaneUniversity.
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DonaldSjoerdsma
WebTechnologies&DatabasesDonSjoerdsmareceivedhisB.A.insociologyfromIndianaUniversity.HewaseditorinchiefofthebiweeklyIUNorthwestcampusnewspaper,thePhoenix.Aftergraduation,hecontributedtotheTimesofNorthwestIndianasYoungVoicescolumn,andcopyeditedthe2010
IndianaFootballDigest.Hemajoredininteractivepublishing.
BrianWarmoth
ProjectLeader/IndustryResearchBrianWarmothhasworkedasajournalistcoveringmedia,techandgamesformorethansevenyears.HehascontributedreportingandblogcommentaryforMTVNews,IFCandAOLNews.HemajoredininteractivepublishingatMedill.
RobertWile
AudienceResearch/FinalReportPriortoenrollingatMedill,RobertWileworkedasabeatreporterfortheIslandPacketinHiltonHead,S.C.Hisreportinginterestsincludehousingandrealestate,unemploymentandEuropeanaffairs.HecurrentlyservesasavolunteerjobcoordinatorattheEthiopianCommunityAssociationofChicago.RobertearnedhisBAfromColumbia
Universityin2008,wherehemajoredinhistory.
8/3/2019 Chicago Reporter Cultivating a Digital Future Medill Fall2011
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THANKSTOWecouldnothavecompletedthisprojectwithoutthehelpofMedillfaculty,theChicagoReporterteamandanumberofotherindividuals.Thankstoallwhosharedtheirinsights,helpeduswithlogisticsorcoachedusthroughtheprocessofdevelopinganewdigitalstrategyfortheChicagoReporter:
MEDILLFACULTY
Prof.RichGordonAssociateProf.ZachWise
Prof.OwenYoungmanAssistantProf.JeremyGilbert
AssistantProf.RachelDavisMersey
CHICAGOREPORTER&COMMUNITYRENEWALSOCIETY
AldenLouryKimbriellKellyRuiKaneya
AngelaCaputoMariaInesZamudio
MeganCottrellMicahMaidenberg
AlShaw
ANDALSO
GeoffreyHingMarkRoykoWesLindahl
DannySpitzerCohnBillRankin
VivianVahlberg