Our JOUR 1550 class recently had the opportunity to meet with Sharon McGowan, editor in chief and project director of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. The MNNS is an online media outlet that focuses on 15 different communities in Milwaukee. They cover issues important to central city neighborhoods such as, the environment, arts and recreation, health, and economic development.
I had not heard about the MNNS until last years in my Digital Journalism I class. Only then did we briefly discuss the partnership between them and the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee. McGowan explained to us the history of MNNS and described the upcoming project that our class will be completing.
Two years ago, McGowan came to Milwaukee from Chicago and started the MNNS. In the beginning they covered three neighborhoods, but today that number has expanded to 15. The communities are broken down into regions, with citywide coverage also.
Every story written by the MNNS contains print and multimedia aspects. As we saw in class, combining these two creates a powerful and compelling multimedia package.
Although the MNNS is a small organization, they have already gained success. In 2012, they won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in online reporting. The MNNS also recently received a grant from the Knight Foundation that will allow them to hire more employees and buy new equipment.
I am excited to complete this upcoming project for my Digital Journalism II class and the MNNS. We will be paired with a classmate and sent into one of the neighborhoods to cover an event. I am looking forward to observing an often overlooked part of the Milwaukee community and sharing with others the events that take place there.
"I started something that I hope lives longer than me," said McGowan. "The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life in the communities that we cover."
I had not heard about the MNNS until last years in my Digital Journalism I class. Only then did we briefly discuss the partnership between them and the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee. McGowan explained to us the history of MNNS and described the upcoming project that our class will be completing.
Two years ago, McGowan came to Milwaukee from Chicago and started the MNNS. In the beginning they covered three neighborhoods, but today that number has expanded to 15. The communities are broken down into regions, with citywide coverage also.
Every story written by the MNNS contains print and multimedia aspects. As we saw in class, combining these two creates a powerful and compelling multimedia package.
Although the MNNS is a small organization, they have already gained success. In 2012, they won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in online reporting. The MNNS also recently received a grant from the Knight Foundation that will allow them to hire more employees and buy new equipment.
I am excited to complete this upcoming project for my Digital Journalism II class and the MNNS. We will be paired with a classmate and sent into one of the neighborhoods to cover an event. I am looking forward to observing an often overlooked part of the Milwaukee community and sharing with others the events that take place there.
"I started something that I hope lives longer than me," said McGowan. "The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life in the communities that we cover."