Reader Institute for Community Journalism

Explore

Initiatives

Initiatives

Core Objective

Notes

Key Initiative

Status

Owner

Internal Team

External Partners

Deadline

Budget

Budget Source

Budget Status

Progress

Mission Critical

Risk of Failure

Sustainable Business

Open

Shared Services

In progress

The Texas Observer

$125,000.00

Knight Foundation

Not Funded

000

Open

Going Weekly

In progress

General Operations

Funded

000

Open

Transition CIMA

In progress

Lieberman, Solomon

Public Narrative

$0.00

General Operations

Funded

000

Open

🚀 Biz Dev

In progress

Nettles, Amber

General Operations

Funded

000

Open

🚀 Mark/Comms

In progress

Cooper, Chasity

$100,000.00

Gen Ops/Funder?

Partially Funded

000

Product Improvement

Open

Digital Strategy and Suite

In progress

Brian

Dan

$150,000.00

Fundraising

Funded

000

Open

Expand Publication

In progress

$120,000.00

General Operations

Funded

000

Open

Pilot Muli Lingual

Not started

000

Open

The Book Redesign

In progress

General Operations

Funded

000

Iconic Brand

Open

Increased Events and Live Experiences

In progress

$30,000.00

General Operations

Funded

000

Open

Archive Project

Blocked

Angelia Ford, Obsideian Group

000

Open

Physical Locations

In progress

The Medill Local News Accelerator

The Orbit Group

Gertie

000

Open

Yellow Box Project

In progress

$10,000.00

General Operations

000

Prolific Fundraising

Open

Membership Fundraising Program

In progress

Trilogy Group

000

Open

Institutional Fundraising Program

In progress

000

Open

Major Gifts Fundraising Program

Not started

000

Open

Corporate Fundraising Program

Not started

000

Open

Board Development

000

Values-Aligned Programming

Open

Arts and Culture Study

In progress

Lieberman, Solomon

$75,000.00

Prtizter Pucker Family Foundation

Funded

000

Open

AI + JEDI

Not started

000

Open

Racial Justice Writers Room

In progress

Judith McRae

$55,000.00

Feinberg Foundation

Not Funded

000

Open

Traveling Newsroom

Not started

000

Best-in-Class Workplace

Open

Newsroom Culture

000

Open

Union Negotiation

In progress

Graham, Alia

Scholhamer, Ann

Graham, Alia

Lieberman, Solomon

000

Open

Hire Key Staff Roles

In progress

Lieberman, Solomon

000

Open

Amber Development

In progress

Lieberman, Solomon

000

Open

HR Improvements

In progress

Graham, Alia

000

⁠

Edits

Merged “Digital First” into “Digital Strategy and Suite”

Question: Is “Digital First” really about engaging the writers in a thoughtful way to shift culture?

Should social media be on this list?

Social Media Evolution taken off

Questions

What does cashflow look like?

$100K from MacArthur

$75K from Pritzker Pucker

$98K from Elizabeth Morison

What are brian and dan’s last names?

Brain Boyer

Dan Sinker

Any Board projects?

University model - endowed roles

Diane mentions AFG — what is AFG?

Artistic Fundraising Group — old fundraising group

Diane mentions MIke — who is Mike?

Mike membership manager and now in Mark/Comms

UnGala details? And other events strategies?

MCA will here — 3rd week of oct

Did SalesForce get implemented?

Implemented

Senior fellow? tied to arts and culture study

Sol Key Questions

Are we romantizing print?

Digital is strong?

Shared services?

Culture piece with union?

Increase capacity for racial justice reporting and community-based journalism by continuing to develop the Racial Justice Reporting Hub. RICJ will expand its partnership with ALAANA writers and educators to provide mentorship and support to writers focusing on racial justice through its Racial Justice Writer’s Room. This goal supports the Reader’s commitment to increase coverage of racial justice issues, centralizing the publication’s groundbreaking coverage of equity issues and coalescing the efforts of a diverse collection of journalists. Progress will be measured by tracking progress in hiring, story selection, and voices represented in reporting.

Share best practices based on the Reader’s nationally recognized leadership in independent arts-and-culture journalism. Develop and disseminate information about how the Reader’s community-based arts-and-culture coverage supports local art organizations and impacts critical outcomes for our diverse democracy.

Social Justice Reporting Expansion: In order to support reporting on social justice issues, in 2020 the Reader added a staff Social Justice Reporter, a role now held by Debbie-Marie Brown, a Black, queer, nonbinary Afro-Latine journalist. Brown contributes coverage that spotlights systemically underreported communities and groups, including the disparities faced by Black-owned small businesses in acquiring cannabis dispensary licenses, guides to queer and BIPOC recurring community events, and profiles of local artists and community leaders like Molly Compton, a scene mom and mentor who founded Ur Mom Records, and Ammie Kae Brooks, an LCSW whose

1) Intentionally engage a diverse pool of journalists to give voice to their respective communities. Writers with lived experiences that align with the communities they cover bring nuance and complexity to stories, which, in turn, results in an authenticity that resonates with readers. 2) Approach reporting via a solutions journalism lens. Each piece amplifies an issue and then details actionable steps for public engagement that work toward a solution. As a result, readers gain a more nuanced understanding of the issues facing their communities, empowering them to become informed, proactive public citizens. 3) Commit to following stories for months, sometimes years, instead of producing short-term coverage that fails to follow up with the individuals and communities affected. The Reader rejects voyeuristic journalism that lacks consideration for how the communities and individuals directly affected by issues are treated, re-traumatized, or portrayed. Instead, long-term commitment to its reporting positions the Reader to be an agent of lasting

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.