In March 2021, WHYY launched WHYY’s News & Information Community Exchange (N.I.C.E.), a mutual aid, journalism collaborative funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund. Managed by Eric Marsh, Sr, Community Outreach Organizer for WHYY, the goal of N.I.C.E. is to organize, support, and develop grassroots news and information content creators who serve their communities and who, in turn share content, sources, wisdom and audiences with WHYY and each other. By utilizing the industry leading reputation and experience of WHYY, N.I.C.E. partners are able to collaborate with one another and grow their relationships and professional capacities while helping WHYY connect with diverse communities and build relationships and trust.
N.I.C.E. partners are grounded in their communities, creating news and information content for their particular audiences with unique perspectives that are not typically seen in mainstream news. Through a series of projects and trainings, N.I.C.E. partners share content, sources and wisdom with WHYY and each other to the benefit of all who consume local content.
Inaugural class of N.I.C.E. partners:
Emma Restrepo of Dos Puntos Radio, which connects Latinxs living in Philadelphia with the ones that live in USA and Latin America to address cultural and social issues.
Jill Smith of SOWN which provides innovative solutions to help adults 50+ lead independent, healthy lives and age in place in their homes and communities.
Conrad Benner of StreetsDept.com, a photo-blog that discovers art on the streets of Philadelphia.
James Williams of The Uptown Standard Monthly Newspaper, with a circulation of 3,000 copies, distributed in over 50 locations throughout Uptown Philadelphia.
Sajda Purple Blackwell of PQ Radio 1, an online radio station for the people by the people with a mission to serve our community by giving a voice to the voiceless.
P.O.C. (Proof of Consciousness) of Mad or Nah / Revive Radio, the nation’s favorite online media company since 2017.
Daniel Tsao of New Mainstream Media, the publishing company of two leading Asian newspapers, Metro Chinese Weekly and Metro Viet News, which serve a quarter million Asians across Eastern Pennsylvania, South New Jersey, and Northern Delaware.
Dean Lloyd of WJYN 98.5 FM which began broadcasting in the Fall 2016.
Stephen & Carolyn Fillmore of The NW Local.
Malik Boyd & Kyndal Chase of HeartCityTV.
Nora Elmarzouky & Yaroub Al-Obaidi of Friends Peace and Sanctuary Journal.