The Social Justice News Nexus supports Northwestern University journalism students and media outlets, reporters and other storytellers in Chicago and beyond in delving into policy and equity issues including immigration, housing, mental health, the environment, criminal justice and more. SJNN is affiliated with the Social Justice-Investigative specialization in the graduate program at the Medill School of Journalism, and provides opportunities for all Medill graduate students to cover social justice issues and collaborate with other journalists and community organizations.
The Social Justice News Nexus website features work from Medill graduate students, SJNN Fellows, SJNN Professional Partnerships and freelance journalists. From 2014 to 2017, SJNN Fellows — journalists and storytellers from a range of organizations and communities — received support from Medill to produce stories on specific topics during annual cycles: Drug Policy & Treatment, Criminal Justice & Mental Health; Housing & Homelessness; and Environmental & Energy Justice. Today such journalists and storytellers work with small teams of Medill graduate students in Professional Partnerships, producing in-depth stories on a range of social justice and investigative topics. The Social Justice News Nexus also provides for programming and workshops; and helps support an annual student reporting trip to Puerto Rico, the island that not only has a strong connection to Chicago but also provides a prime example of resilience, popular struggle and ground-breaking journalism.
The Social Justice News Nexus is made possible by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Contact:
Social Justice News Nexus interim director: Kari Lydersen, karin.lydersen@northwestern.edu
Social Justice News Nexus editor: Martha Bayne, sjnnchicago@gmail.com