Local News Accelerator

The Medill Local News Accelerator (LNA) works to spur a more economically robust local news ecosystem. The Accelerator maximizes Chicagoland residents' access to the information they need to be civically engaged.

Through a generous investment by the McCormick Foundation, the program is cost-free to all participants and organizations.

Our Three Core Programs

A triangle subdivided into smaller, equally sized triangular sections. At the top is a label, “Ecosystem”, with the nearest section labeled “Chicago News Summit”. At the lower left is a label, “Organizations”, with the nearest section labeled “Local News Accelerator”. At the lower right is a label, “Individuals”, with the nearest section labeled “Media Innovation & Leadership Academy”. The fourth triangular section is in the center of the others, and has a decorative image made up of several overlapping circles.

LNA Cohort Program

Six-month program in which local news organizations develop and work toward a project core to their individual missions.

Chicago Local News Summit

The Chicago Local News Summit is a day-long journalism conference that provides world-class research insights, training opportunities and thought leadership for local news leaders, journalists and philanthropists.

Media Innovation & Leadership Academy

Exclusive, week-long program in which a small cohort of news professionals learns from leading experts in business, content strategy and consumer research to take with them as their respective organizations prepare for the future of journalism.

Our Clients, Partners and Scholars

Research Faculty and Staff

Mackenzie Warren

Director

Mackenzie Warren directs Northwestern Medill’s Local News Accelerator. He specializes in transforming organizations through research and insights, content strategy, business strategy, new product development and executive leadership development.

Before coming to Northwestern, he held a number of executive roles at the USA TODAY Network/Gannett, the largest publisher in the United States. As senior director of news strategy, he guided large Pulitzer Prize-winning titles like USA TODAY, the Detroit Free Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Arizona Republic, Cincinnati Enquirer, The Courier Journal in Louisville, The Tennessean in Nashville and others through their transition to consumer-supported businesses.

Yazmin Dominguez

Assistant Director

Yazmin Dominguez currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Local News Accelerator. Yazmin has been involved with supporting local news outlets in Chicago since 2019. She began her professional career at the Chicago Reader where she co-created the Chicago Independent Media Alliance alongside former Reader leadership. Since then, Yazmin has been involved as the Community Growth Assistant for Borderless Magazine where she supported the Development team with donor and audience recruitment strategies.

Audrey Azzo

Press Forward Chicago’s Peer Learning Community Program Coordinator

Audrey Azzo is the Program Coordinator for Press Forward Chicago’s Peer Learning Community. She is also a Research Assistant at Northwestern’s MENA Language department. An alumnus of the American University of Beirut and Medill, she pursues data driven approaches to report on unjust systemic practices and human rights abuses.

Hannah Carroll

Fellow/Photographer

Hannah Carroll is a current fellow and photographer for the Medill Local News Accelerator. A 2023 graduate of Medill, Hannah has previously interned for The Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Washington, as well as the State of Local Journalism Task Force, where she researched journalism public policies and contributed to the Task Force’s final recommendation report.