Thursday, February 1
Public Newsroom #49: Help Design a New Podcast on State Politics
6:00 pm — 8:00 pm
2018 is a big year for local elections in Illinois. Races this year include: governor, states attorney and state representative. Media coverage of these events is often predictable: Which candidate raised more money? How are they doing in the polls? Who got the labor endorsement? But answering these questions does little to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box. What would it look like if we abandon this old model for political news and instead let our coverage be driven entirely by the questions and needs of our audience? That’s the question Chicago-based journalist and media innovator Ellen Mayer is trying to answer with her new podcast Illinoise, and this Public Newsroom will give attendees a chance to give input on the form and content of the podcast from the very beginning. Mayer will lead us in a hands-on workshop to identify information needs around local government and then imagine together how the Illinoise podcast might serve those needs in a genuinely useful and engaging way.