Irene Romulo: Cicero Independiente is an independent, bilingual news organization serving the people of Cicero and Berwyn, Illinois. Both communities are majority Latinx, working-class towns with a history of corruption and what seems to be a hesitancy to adapt to changing demographics. For example, although monolingual Spanish-speakers comprise a large part of the community, public meetings do not provide interpretation or translation services, making it difficult for people to engage in local democracy.

Our reporting meets the needs of our community by connecting residents to crucial information about local resources, amplifying residents doing good things and investigating local government agencies to push for accountability and transparency. We also pay and mentor local youth to report on issues that matter to them, such as this feature by a past youth reporting fellow.

Romulo: I am one of the three cofounders of Cicero Independiente. When we first launched all three of us wore many hats, but now I focus on our fundraising and community engagement. A lot of what I do is heavily influenced by my experiences as an organizer. Everything we do comes down to building strong relationships with our neighbors and partners so that our journalism is reflective of what our community needs, and making sure our journalism is accessible.

We recently interviewed some of our readers about their information needs as part of our work with the Listening and Sustainability Lab. One of them said she wants local organizations to be both community-needed and community-wanted. We know we’re community-wanted because of the outpouring of messages, news tips and support that we receive from local residents both in person and online. Our hope is to remain that way.

Romulo: Our primary audience is the Latinx, bilingual community of Cicero and Berwyn. We want to serve people like our parents: immigrants, monolingual Spanish speakers who have specific needs and many stories to tell but who are often left out of mainstream media. We also want our work to center and amplify the experiences of bilingual youth of color who are the driving force behind local organizing efforts. All of our coverage features local experts and community members. We also spend a lot of resources conducting off-line outreach to ensure we’re reaching people who have little to no access to our online content.

Although not currently our primary audience, we also realize that we have a big opportunity to amplify and build relationships with the small, but growing, Black population in this town. Cicero is a former sundown town and non-Black Latinx people have benefited from, and sometimes been behind, anti-Black violence. We have a duty to make sure that we don’t erase or ignore the stories of Black residents.

Romulo: Before we even launched, one of our cofounders conducted extensive interviews with local residents at a coffee shop to learn about the topics that interested them the most.

Then at our launch event, which was kind of like a big block party with a film screening, we also asked attendees about what we should cover. After we launched, some of our team members used to spend a lot of time talking to people at bus stops and laundromats to learn about their information needs. These efforts were paused when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were put in place, so we shifted strategies. We’ve conducted online surveys and Zoom interviews with community members but the most important shift we made was joining existing community spaces to learn about information needs.

Romulo: Instead of creating new spaces to reach people, we asked if we could join local coalitions. This included a COVID-19 working group composed of local agencies, representatives of elected officials and local parents. We knew the meetings were public and open to any Cicero resident but we wanted to make sure that our presence as media would not create discomfort for attendees. Before we showed up, we asked organizers if we could attend and we made sure to explain that we wanted to join in order to learn how we, as a media organization, could help make more information accessible. When we’re in the spaces, we also make sure to let people know that everything they say is off the record. If we want interviews, or to share anything someone says, we’ll ask for permission first. We’re building trust, and transparency about our intentions is crucial.

Romulo: One of the coalitions we joined is the COVID-19 working group. At those meetings, our role is to listen, take cues and meet information needs when we can. We’ve partnered with members of the group to host virtual events, create updated resources and investigate the local government’s response to COVID-19. We’ve also created explainers and social media graphics based on questions that have been brought up by parents at those meetings.

Everything we create informed by our involvement in these coalitions is always published in both Spanish and English. The investigations we publish are accompanied by useful information, such as this handy know your rights article that is also available as a poster.

Romulo: Yes! We use a Google form to track the messages, social media posts and in-person feedback that we receive. We’re not always the best at staying on top of it; we remind each other a lot so that we’re all contributing to keeping track. In the past, we’ve reviewed survey results during our team meetings and we’re constantly sharing insights on Slack. The editorial team, which is very small right now, uses the feedback to decide what stories we pursue with our limited resources. The feedback also informs our projects. Next year, we’re planning to launch participatory reporting projects that have been informed by Zoom interviews with our readers.

Romulo: In 2020, we launched a paid youth reporting fellowship. Participants receive journalism training and report on issues that matter to them. Running the fellowship is a lot of work but we think it is crucial that we create well-paid opportunities for young people to shape our newsroom.

Two of the fellows that participated last summer are now members of our steering committee and are helping make decisions about the future of our organization. The majority of our reporting contributors and illustrators are also local youth who had never worked with a news organization. Working with them to produce stories they are proud of is a big lift and it often means that our stories take a bit longer to publish but it is worth it. By amplifying the work and the voices of people of color in our community we are helping to create more pathways for them. Some of the people we’ve profiled have received invitations to be speakers at major events after event organizers read about them on our website. Past writers and illustrators are now working with other newsrooms and getting paid to produce work that advances more equitable coverage of communities of color.

Romulo: This year we’re prioritizing our internal development. We’re a fiscally sponsored organization but hope to incorporate as a worker-led nonprofit in the future, so we’re working on our bylaws and figuring out what a community advisory board and membership would look like for us.