A day of networking with Chicago's hyperlocal, independent media community, the Freelancing Bootcamp featured hands-on skills refresher sessions, an open dialogue for creating content with a racial equity lens, panel discussions and pitch sessions.
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Roland Calia, The Civic Federation
Calia conducted The session on "Resources and Tips for Covering Government Stories."
Jhmira Alexander, President and Executive Director, Public Narrative
Alexander conducted the session "Active Listening Interviewing."
Amy Merrick, Professional Lecturer, DePaul Journalism Program
Merrick conducted the session "AI Tools and Ethics for Journalists."
Judith McCray, Executive Director, Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice
Deborah Douglas, Solutions Journalism Hub, Medill, Northwestern University
Douglas gave the lunchtime presentation "Reporting, Sourcing and Interviewing Through A Racial Equity Lens."
The Hyperlocal Independent Media Panel
Cheryl Mainor Norman, Chicago News Weekly; April Alonso, Cicero Independiente; Amethyst Davis, Harvey World Herald; Savannah Hugueley, The Chicago Reader.
Maggie Sivit, Injustice Watch
Sivit led the session "Audience Engagement Importance and Tools."
Keynote Speaker Andrea Gatewood, Community Engagement Manager of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Vincent Peña, Assistant Professor, DePaul Journalism Program
Peña led the session "Reporting Basics Reboot"