About the Community Media Workshop
donate | contact us | board of directors |blogs | subscribe to the media guide | resources | tips | local news | job opportunities
Anything I’ve been part of with Community Media Workshop has been relevant and practical and, dare I say, fun
Christina Bronsing, New Communities Program Director, Enlace
Since 1989 Community Media Workshop has worked to diversify the voices in news and public debates by providing a unique mix of communications coaching for grassroots, arts and other nonprofit organizations and sourcing grassroots and community news for journalists. Connecting the community with media, the Workshop promotes news that matters.
Democracy depends upon freedom of expression and a plurality of voices. We believe all have the right to be heard and deserve an equal opportunity to shape public debate. Diversifying the voices in public debate leads to a dialogue that portrays society more fully and accurately, and such diversity in turn enriches democracy.
To meet our mission and vision we offer a unique blend of communications coaching and community-oriented journalism resources, in three areas.
Getting On Air, Online & Into Print & Other Nonprofit Communications Tools
When we did our Great American Book Drive event we used the Getting On Air, Online & Into Print guide to find members of the media we thought might be interested. The event was a huge success, largely due to all the great press coverage we received
Becca Keaty, Director-Marketing/PR, Open Books
To connect nonprofit communicators and journalists the Workshop has published its authoritative and accurate media guide as an alternative to costly corporate journalist contact databases for nearly 20 years.
The media guide is the cornerstone of our commitment to provide free and low-cost tools to nonprofit communicators, which include a free online database of ethnic news outlets, free news release creator and other free tips and tools created by leaders in the field.
Nonprofit Communications Coaching & Consulting
The videotaped interview and feedback session was most beneficial. I learned a lot from viewing my colleagues’ interviews as well as my own, and can use that knowledge to inform future interviews.
Heather Heppner, Senior Program Specialist, AARP Illinois
We would not be looking at reforms right now [at Tamms Supermax prison] if we had not had the Community Media Workshop as a sounding board and advisor.
Laurie Jo Reynolds, co-coordinator TAMMS Year Ten
More than 2,000 nonprofit staff and volunteer communicators each year access coaching and training on how to tell stories that advance their mission and strengthen their organizations. Most work in Chicago, but nearly half are from Illinois, the Midwest, and beyond. More than 700 of them come together in our online community, Adventures in Nonprofit Communications.
We offer scheduled workshops and the annual Making Media Connections conference in June at Columbia College Chicago where we are based, as well as custom consulting engagements workshops by request, and free coaching and training for emerging grassroots and smaller arts organizations.
Community Journalism
Our coverage on Newstips has helped us get the word out about our stories when it has sometimes been hard to get the ‘mainstream media’ to pay attention
Bob Palmer, Housing Action Illinois
The fastest-growing area of our work currently deals with the new local news ecoystem such as the emergence of new online news, the vitality of community and ethnic news, and how to support journalists in the rapidly changing media landscape. At the same time, the Workshop has been doing journalism as long as we’ve been around.
That includes our Newstips service. More than a news release, less than a full-blown report, hundreds of stories have covered the communities and the issues that rarely receive the full attention of the news media—at least when they first arise—over the past 15 years. It also includes broadcast public affairs shows that were retired at the end of 2009, and a host of new content to come.
Our Ethnic News Project sustains and connects journalists and publishers at news outlets serving the Chicago region’s diverse ethnic and cultural communities. This project provides informational forums, training workshops, and improved online access to journalists serving ethnic and cultural communities while raising visibility through a new free online database of area ethnic news outlets.
Since 2007 when we held our first Community Media Summit in conjunction with the annual Making Media Connections conference, the Workshop has been a leader in developing online news and community resources in Chicago. Our report, the NEW News: Journalism We Want and Need” helped recently to frame Chicago’s new online journalism efforts and we continue to partner with The Chicago Community Trust to support Chicago’s leading role across the nation in bringing grassroots voices into online news.
Studs Terkel Community Media Awards
Our annual fundraiser, providing significant support for our free coaching and other work, honors outstanding journalists who cover Chicago’s diverse communities.
About communitymediaworkshop.org
This site was created for both practical purposes for our organization to extend our mission into the new capabilities of the social web, but more importantly provide a space online for grassroots leadership, journalists and nonprofit communicators to keep informed about local news, acquire helpful tips and resources, and to participate in developing a community online that promotes the work we all do on the ground. We hope you find this special spot on the web helpful and welcome your feedback on how we can continue to improve its functionality and its content.
Email to tell us what you think!
