• by Ray Schultz , September 9, 2024

Small newspapers in Illinois will soon be able to avail themselves of content from The Medill Illinois News Bureau.  

The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications has formed the Medill Illinois News Bureau, in partnership with Capitol News Illinois (CNI), a nonprofit news bureau operated by the Illinois Press Foundation.   

The goal is to “revitalize community journalism and address the growing number of news deserts in Illinois,” says Jeff Rogers, the founding editor of CNI and executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation. 

Rogers adds, “Because Capitol News Illinois addresses a news desert at the Illinois Capitol, this is a perfect partnership that will further connect communities statewide to their state government. 

CNI services roughly 700 newspapers, digital news sites and broadcast outlets in Illinois and border state cities like St. Louis.  

A team of Medill journalism students, both graduate and undergraduate, will cover legislative and political news from the state capitol of Springfield, working out of CNI’S newsroom. They will develop enterprises and state government news from Chicago when the legislature is not in session.  

Bob Rowley, a senior lecturer at Medill and a former correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, will serve as director of the Medill Illinois News Bureau. 

Funding is provided via a grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.