Make What You Need: Introducing IlliNoise
In 2018 I’m trying something new. I’m starting a podcast to answer Illinoisans’ questions about our state government, how it works, and how it impacts people’s daily lives. It’s called IlliNoise.
If you’ve ever listened to WBEZ’s Curious City, this may sound familiar. I started my career at Curious City and in many ways, IlliNoise is a direct descendant, using the same editorial process.
Curious City is a local radio show answering audience questions about Chicago, the region, and it’s people. Most importantly, it builds audience participation into every step of the editorial process.
For the past two years I’ve been working for Hearken, a company that grew out of WBEZ as a way to spread the Curious City model to other newsrooms. We now call that model “public-powered journalism.”
I went to work for Hearken because I believed (and still believe) that the public-powered model would help newsrooms do a better job of serving their communities. Now I’m leaving the company because I want to practice what I’ve preached and because I’ve noticed a few needs in my home state that aren’t being met.
Enter IlliNoise
The idea for this podcast started out as a personal frustration. For the past few years, I’ve been trying to engage more with local politics in Illinois, and I have had a lot of trouble finding the information I need to get started.
I’m a beginner in many ways. I’m new to the state; I moved to Chicago in 2014. I’m also new to politics; before I became a journalist, I never paid much attention to political news or local government.
Because I am a journalist, the first place I looked for information was my local news sources. I quickly came to these major conclusions:
It is easier to find information about city government than state
Both local and national outlets have pretty regular coverage of what’s going on in the Mayor’s office and City Council — particularly around buzzy topics like police reform and gun violence. Beyond journalism, there are a number of popular local activists, artists, and academics who share valuable information about our city government on social media.
Elections get more media attention than the day-to-day of governing
This makes sense. Political campaigns are designed to attract media attention, and they make for good stories. Meanwhile, the actual work of governance is slow, complex, and not very sexy. Still, if I never learn what people do once they get in office, it’s hard to make an informed decision at the polls. And what if I want my civic engagement to extend further than just voting?
If I never learn what people do once they get in office, it’s hard to make an informed decision at the polls.
Political media is made for politics people
A typical statehouse news story presumes a lot of knowledge on the part of the reader—knowledge about the context, characters, and processes of our state government that I simply don’t have (and I don’t think I’m alone). Not only that, politics reporters often use technical jargon and writing conventions that no one outside of politics would use. The upshot is that local government news is really only useful (or even accessible) to people who already work in and around government.
I need better options
I know that better, more useful options could exist because they already do in other states. A number Hearken’s partner newsrooms have started applying the public powered model to coverage of local government. In 2016, Austin’s public radio station KUT launched #TXDecides, a very successful series answering audience questions about local government in Texas.
Matt Largey is the managing editor at KUT. He told me that the idea behind this project came from a common dilemma in newsrooms: “People say they’re interested, but nobody really reads [political stories].” So Largey decided, “Let’s do political stories that people actually want to read.”
KUT quickly found that their audience wanted different kinds of information than the station typically provides. People wanted to know the basics of how the legislative process works. They also wanted to learn how to get involved themselves.
I was thrilled when KUT launched this project, and even more thrilled when other Hearken newsrooms started doing similar audience-driven work around local government. But I was also jealous and frustrated, because what if I want to know when a bill is up for consideration? Why isn’t anyone doing this in Illinois?
Make what you need
Sometime last summer, I finally put the pieces of the puzzle together: If I need a public-powered news outlet to help me understand local government, then maybe I should make it.
That might sound odd, since I just told you that I am definitely not an expert in Illinois politics. Well, I have a working theory: Maybe a non-expert is actually better equipped than a seasoned politics reporter to explain our state government in an accessible and engaging way. I have a little evidence to support this theory, too. It’s a podcast called Bad With Money.
Bad With Money is hosted by a comedian named Gaby Dunn. She’s— you guessed it— bad with money. But she started this podcast because she wanted to learn how to be better. Essentially, Gaby Dunn made what she needed.
The podcast is mostly made up of Dunn’s interviews with experts in personal finance, breaking down things like student loans, taxes, and credit cards. I find this podcast incredibly helpful. I think that’s because Dunn is confused about the same things that I am, and she asks the same kinds of “basic” questions that I would (what is a stock???). Without any kind of financial expertise or journalism training, she does an incredible job of getting me the information I need.
I am a journalist; I know how to research a story, interview sources, and verify information. But like Dunn, I also have the benefit of a beginner’s mind. I am not afraid to ask the “dumb” questions. I don’t even know the insider jargon, so I won’t be using it. I want things explained to me in a way that is clear but not condescending. I believe I can do the same thing for my audience and do it well.
Send me your questions, please!
I’ve already received a few great audience questions like, “Are the majority of state reps in the Chicago area?,” and “Is it a pipe dream to establish a progressive income tax in Illinois?” But for this podcast to work, I need more!
I want your big and small questions, your goofy questions, your burning questions, and the basic questions that you’re usually afraid to ask.
>>>>> Go to the IlliNoise website to submit your question! <<<<<
If I’m able to answer it, I’ll reach out to learn more about you and why you asked. If you’re willing, I’ll feature your voice on the podcast.
Let’s make some noise.
— E
