Today on the show, what does it mean for students to have a real voice in their community? What does student journalism look like in 2026? What does the erosion of community news do to a community — and how can students help fill the void?
Ellen Austin and Anne O’Keefe are asking those questions this fall — and giving Rockford students the tools to start answering them.
Ellen is a long-time, award-winning journalism teacher. She led high school journalism programs for a long time in Minnesota and California. She teaches journalism to grad students at Kent State now.
A few years ago, Ellen moved back to her hometown: Rockford. She looked around at the ever-dwindling community news landscape and at the student journalism programs in the area, and saw an opportunity.
That’s when she connected with Anne O’Keefe, the assistant director of Community Engagement at the Rockford Public Library.
Together, they’re launching a Youth Community News Initiative.
This summer, they did a short workshop to teach a group of 10 Rockford students the basics of journalism: from interviewing to ethics — and, beginning this fall, those students will be part of a year-long project where they're actually writing, reporting, and covering their community from the perspective of Rockford’s youth.
SHOW NOTES
Educator(s) in this episode:
Anne O'Keefe & Ellen Austin
Stories in this episode:
Music: Our show's theme music is from the northern Illinois-based band Kindoves, featuring the songs "Popn," "Origins" and "Quiche." You can find more of their music on their SoundCloud page. You can also listen to the episode of WNIJ's Sessions from Studio A where they were featured.
Teachers! People who know teachers! People with stories about teachers! Send us an email and be part of the show!
Send us an email to nominate an educator at teacherslounge@niu.edu.
