The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications announced the creation of a shared services hub, which will provide expertise and infrastructure support to news outlets in the Chicago region.
Thanks to a grant from The Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the new hub will work directly with local news organizations in the Chicago area on critical needs, including consumer research, audience strategy, product development, revenue diversification and legal services.
“We’re grateful to the McCormick Foundation for its continued investment, and for its confidence in us to help grow original, reliable local news and information at this critical moment,” Medill Dean Charles Whitaker said. “This new shared services hub will help us provide much-needed resources to Chicago area news outlets. And it will allow them to spend more time focusing on what they do best — providing valuable journalism that helps residents be more informed about local matters that affect their daily lives.”
The shared services hub kick-started its programming with the ‘AI in Local Journalism Seminar.’ The event featured eleven experts in AI, who taught attendees from local news organizations across Chicago how to leverage various AI tools and technologies to achieve their missions without compromise while also improving their daily operations.
This work builds upon the Medill Metro Media Lab and Local News Accelerator, which have collaborated closely with Chicago-area news outlets since 2020 to strengthen the region’s local news ecosystem and enhance coverage of issues affecting its residents. Both programs have supported more than two dozen news organizations in the area, serving more than 5 million Illinoisans.
Medill will offer services in the following categories :
- Training in AI technologies
- Consumer research and competitive analysis
- Content strategy & audience development consulting
- Solutions journalism coaching
- Executive leadership development
In 2024, the Medill State of Local News Project reported that roughly 2.5 newspapers closed in the U.S. each week, and more than 50 million people live in counties with little to no access to local news.
In Illinois, Medill research recorded a loss of 45% of the state’s newspapers over the last 20 years. As a result, 44% of all Illinois counties have limited access to local news.
Although the Chicago news landscape has over 100 news outlets, many are relatively small operations that require expertise and audience research to thrive over the long term, Whitaker said.
This hub aims to improve a local news ecosystem undergoing changes and support local news organizations to ensure their sustainable success.
“We invest in journalism to promote informed civic engagement and ensure government accountability,” said Timothy P. Knight, president and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. “We are enthusiastic that our continuing partnership with Medill advances this goal by strengthening local coverage of city and state government and improving newsroom sustainability.”
Article image by Hannah Carroll