Post-pandemic, Chicagoans prep for delayed retirements
Meet the venture capitalist who’s making investing easier for his fellow Northwestern alumni
Chicago restaurateurs struggle to fill jobs as appetite for dining increases
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. stocks drop after fourth-quarter earnings release
Women’s Health Covid-19 and Mental Health Listicle
Below is an assignment for a Medill Winter 2021 course. We read disparate studies, chose a theme, selected a magazine, and designed a page sketch for our content. We had a word count limit of 300 for the entire page.
Vanguard Style Guide
As editor in chief of The Valley Vanguard, I created a new reporter manual. Since SVSU, my alma mater, didn’t have a journalism program, most new Vanguard reporters did not even know what A.P. stood for when they were first hired. As such, I created a new style guide that was better suited for those brand new at reporting.
Anatomy of a College Newsroom
From 2016 to 2020, I was a team member of Saginaw Valley State University’s campus newspaper, The Valley Vanguard. I served as the opinion and A&E editor in 2017 and as editor in chief during my final years there. Before leaving the organization, I performed a workplace ethnography, as the newsroom culture change dramatically in those two years. Below is my final report. It was originally created using InDesign.
A Deep Dive into Smithsonian
The following assignment was created for a Medill Winter 2021 course. We picked a magazine, analyzed its organizational structure, unpacked the layout of its digital and print spread, and dissected its audience and standing among its competitors. Email me (kaitlyn@mediafeed.org) with any questions or comments about my organizational ethnography or analysis.
Pitch Practice: Smithsonian Story Ideation
Below is an assignment for a Medill course in Winter 2021. For the assignment, we chose a publication to create short and long pitches for, line edit an existing piece for the publication, and create pitch packages, including social media plans. Please feel free to email me (kaitlyn@mediafeed.org) if you have questions or would like to discuss my editing or pitching process.
Like It or Not, Journalists are Activists
I remember when a bunch of mainstream reporters felt so threatened by high school editor Rebecca Schneid, who dared say that journalism is a form of activism after her and her staff covered the Parkland shooting, that they practically lit a pyre at her feet and shouted, “Witch!”
Uptown Black culture event kicks off with argument over exhibit
Photo essay: An Edgewater tribute to RBG
‘Objectivity’ doesn’t exist in news: Let’s stop pretending it does
As more mainstream outlets are decried as “fake news” by those who wish to get their news from Russian trolls and disgruntled out-of-work white guys living in their parents’ basement, the question must be asked: How will mainstream, legitimate media regain the moral high ground?
Yet again fact-checking Trump’s COVID-19 vaccine claims
It’s not always easy to fact check the president of the United States. That’s especially true when he and his followers seem impervious to any fact that goes against Trumpism.
Contextless press release stories give value to questionable agendas
There comes a point when news organizations’ quest to break new first gets in the way of the news-setting agenda.
Some Edgewater coffee shops grow, others struggle during pandemic
While many Edgewater coffee shops are struggling to survive the pandemic, others are using it to expand into physical storefronts.
Chicago small business owners less optimistic about holiday sales than experts
Chicago small businesses are less optimistic about holiday sales than consumer behavior experts are.
Edgewater businesses expect less traffic during upcoming Red Line construction
While still facing a pandemic, many Edgewater businesses are expected to see further traffic disruptions in 2021 from a Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, modernization project, officials said.
Former employee buys and rebrands Edgewater salon after pandemic closure
Former Salon 64 employee Greg Nelson bought and rebranded the salon as Studio 64 after the owner walked away during the pandemic.
Chicago artists embrace online markets to survive pandemic
Window art in an Uptown Chicago storefront. As craft fairs and physical storefronts close amid the pandemic, Chicago artists and makers are pivoting to online markets to stay afloat. (Image: KAITLYN FARLEY)