Nathan Blaesing of Iowa City

Voices of Veterans

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IowaWatch.org sought out military veterans in August through November 2017 with two simple questions: What should Iowans know about being a veteran, and what could Iowans do to show their support other than simply saying they do it? We answered these questions by 1) going to veterans at places where their service is noted publicly, 2) producing two separate radio reports distributed statewide on a network of 19 stations, 3) producing written stories distributed statewide to Iowa newspapers for republication, 4) hosting a live storytelling event where five selected veterans told about something significant in their lives and 5) recruiting partners to help spread these stories.

Measuring Pesticide Drift In Central Illinois

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The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting used a sensor-journalism project to better connect with its audiences in small rural communities and help explore an issue of concern to these communities. Through a partnership with Illinois Humanities, our engagement fellow at the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting reached out to several agriculture communities in Central Illinois to help us measure and report on pesticide drift using passive air samplers during the 2018 growing season.

Local Governance 101

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In the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville last August, many citizens asked us to hold educational programs that would inform citizens how local government works and how it might be structured differently in the future. Charlottesville Tomorrow and the League of Women Voters organized two panel discussions in February to start this conversation.

Richland Source's community baby shower gave families an opportunity to get health information from local organizations including Richland Pregnancy Services

Richland Source Community Baby Shower

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Richland Source hosted a community baby shower as a way for the local community to engage with solutions journalism work about infant mortality. Approximately 20 community organizations and 500 attendees came together to learn about resources and educational materials available to help with having a safe and healthy pregnancy and raising a healthy and happy baby.

Rising From Rust

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Over the course of 2018, the Richland Source has dedicated time and resources from its small newsroom to reporting on Mansfield as a Rust Belt legacy city. The staff’s reporting has focused on how Richland County has responded to its situation, what solutions other communities have implemented to move past their dying manufacturing legacies and how Richland County, specifically its county seat Mansfield, can learn from these places, move forward and rise from the rust.

Insider Louisville’s Top 100: Change-makers and groundbreakers

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Insider Louisville created a database of local civic leaders to measure their community impact. Each individual was given a civic engagement score. Criteria included but was not limited to nonprofit board participation, founding a company, charity support, elected to office, networking group membership and media exposure. Insider Louisville published a report to honor the top 100 ranked civic leaders in a report: “Insider Louisville’s Top 100: Change-makers and groundbreakers.”

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100 Days in Appalachia

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100 Days in Appalachia is a reporting project created the day after the 2016 election that pushes back against parachute journalists’ and national narratives about rural America. It’s published at the West Virginia University Reed College of Media Innovation Center in collaboration with West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) and The Daily Yonder, of the Center for Rural Strategies, headquartered in Kentucky.

Newsroom After Hours

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Newsroom After hours is a three-year-old summer concert series that displays free live music to the Mansfield community in our newsroom.

Student Intersections

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Because of mutual interest in the economy of north central Ohio and the role youth will play in the region’s future, Richland Source teamed up with Interlocal (a Mansfield-based nonprofit) to hold an event where Richland-area high school students and visiting students could meet and learn about each other’s communities. The one-time, half-day program, called “Student Intersections,” facilitated conversation about the Rust Belt’s changing economy, how identity relates to place and what young people can do to create change.

Women and Depression

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Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and affects women at about twice the rate that it does men. The Connecticut Health I-Team dove deep into the data about women and depression and interviewed doctors, psychologists and women suffering from depression. The result was two 20-minute podcasts on women and depression and stories that accompanied them. The stories were featured on C-HIT’s website and published by C-HIT’s 16 media partners.

HEARKEN

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Hearken is an innovative “participative journalism” platform, built on a foundation laid by the Localore-funded Curious City project at WBEZ, Chicago. It provides a unique “audience-driven” news reporting platform and approach that helps journalists “partner with the public to create relevant and high-performing stories” using digital tools and engagement strategies.