State of the Media report

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism released its annual State of the Media report this morning.

Read it on the Columbia Journalism Review Web site.

The information is as bleak as we knew it would be and includes:

• The newspaper industry has lost $1.6 billion in reporting and editing capacity in the past year.

• Online advertising, content pay walls and the idea of unbiased news aren't working.

But, I don't think this should discourage anyone. We knew all this. Now is the time to move forward with more news analysis, opinions and community engagement. We as newspapers should foster and host the conversation.

If we don't, someone else will.

Check out the TribLocal: Inside the Newsroom blog

This is my personal blog.

Want to know more about Chicago Tribune's TribLocal? Check out our blog hosted by Chicago Now, the Tribune's blogging network.

Ann Landers

Today, I found out something I should have already known.

Ann Landers worked for the Chicago Tribune.

I should have known this because I work for Chicago Tribune's TribLocal, and, well, it seems to be common information.

But I read Ann Landers' columns when I was a little girl living in Lowell, Mich. in our metro newspaper, The Grand Rapids Press. I had no idea then where they originally came from, and only my dreams, not my reality, spanned much beyond the west side of the state. I remember wondering if she existed at all, or if she perhaps was the invention of a newspaper editor.

She had a way with words that I admired and aspired to. She had the answers to all the questions I never even knew to ask. She wrote intelligently and inspired me. One piece of prose she penned in her column I clipped in 1995, and it is preserved inside a frame that also holds my wedding photos. "Love is friendship that has caught fire..." it reads.

I wanted to be a writer and a newspaperwoman more than anything, and there she was, every day. Her career seemed a million miles away from my life.

And yet, here I am today, working for the same major media company as Ann Landers. I can't wait to tell my mom.

Lake County to restore rare ecological system

This story had one big surprise factor for me: Thousands of volunteers help preserve the Lake County Forest Preserves land. I had no idea so many people were committed to protecting the lands in my county.

By Tara May Tesimu
Published in Chicago Tribune's TribLocal

Rare plants and a unique ecological environment will be protected in a major restoration of Grainger Woods—an endeavor that will be jump-started by one of the largest grants in the forest preserves' history.

The Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves District garnered a $500,000 donation from the Grainger Foundation, which will in part fund the comprehensive restoration planned for the 308-acre Grainger Woods Conservation Preserve, Lake County Forest Preserves District officials said.

Planning is already underway for the $1.5 million project, which is set to take place over a span of seven years, said Barb Vicory, the executive director of the preservation foundation.

The preservation foundation will continue fundraising to cover the cost of the project, she added. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that receives charitable gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations to support the public lands owned by the forest preserves.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources designated 169 acres of the land as an Illinois Nature Preserve in January. That status is only given to the most ecologically sensitive public lands, Vicory said.

"That's a distinction that's held for the most rare areas of our state," she said.

The portion of the site designated as a nature preserve contains wet-mesic upland forest and northern flatwoods, which the state considers globally imperiled. The designation will provide protection to seven state endangered or threatened species.

During the restoration project, the forest preserves will have to be cautious in removing the non-native species without damaging the rare native plants, Vicory said. The plan may include the use of spot-applied herbicides.

"We have to be very careful," she said.

Read more. The full story is on TribLocal.

Lake Forest teachers invent reading curriculum, raise ACT scores

I really had fun reporting this story. Education stories fascinated me even before I became a parent, and now I am even more intrigued by how and what we teach our children.

These two teachers are passionate about their work. I could hear it in their voices as they spoke about this project. They put in long hours and extra time to help these students succeed. They're being innovative and doing something no one's done before.

And, as a writer and avid reader, I know exactly how valuable it will be for students to have a higher comprehension level.

Meet two Lake Forest teachers who are changing the world, one student at a time:

By Tara May Tesimu
Published in Chicago Tribune's TribLocal

Two Lake Forest teachers are inventing the curriculum for a course to help high school students become better readers—and raising ACT scores while they’re at it.

Lake Forest High School teachers Becky Mueller and Linda Rich co-teach a one-semester elective class called strategic reading, in which they teach students how to become better readers through different reading strategies and three main components: vocabulary building, comprehension and fluency.

"The idea usually is that you learn to read until you're in 3rd grade, and then you read to learn after that," Mueller said. "It's a paradigm shift. Teachers are not used to teaching reading in high school. We teach students that reading is an active process as opposed to just sitting there absorbing information."

The class is considered tier two intervention, the teachers said, which means that it is designed for students who need some help improving their reading abilities but is not considered intense intervention.

And it's also come with an unexpected bonus. The class began in the 2007-08 and testing has shown that many students who take the class see a rise in their ACT scores—from 1 to 7 points, or from a 13 score to a 20 on the reading portion of the standardized test. The information shows that 63 percent of the students who take the class have seen a rise in their ACT reading score.

"That's not our main goal," Mueller said. "We're thrilled that the kids are getting something so tangible out of it, and that motivates them, but to us, it's just an extra—a great way to hook their interest."

...Read more. The full story is on Triblocal.

Getting to know you...or me!

We spend every Friday getting to know TribLocal journalists on our blog at Chicago Now.

Here's an introduction to myself and the innovative blog co-moderator, Heather Leszczewicz:


Community Manager Tara May Tesimu

Q. What's your journalism background?
A. I can't remember a time I wasn't doing some form of journalism. I was editor-in-chief of my middle school paper in 8th grade, held the same position at my high school paper and started at Michigan State University's student daily when I was a sophomore. I then worked for two daily newspapers in New Mexico and Michigan before coming with my family to Chicagoland.

Q. What drew you to TribLocal?
A. TribLocal is innovative--using new media and technology to transform the way we think about local news. But it is also a return to the roots of journalism, in which we are working hard to foster a community discussion. We want everyone to have a voice, and we encourage not only thoughtful and unique contributions to our site and print edition, but through comments and feedback in any and all formats. I believe we are creating a model that works--not only for news but for true community engagement.

Q. What do you like about covering Highland Park, Highwood, Deerfield, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff?
A. It doesn't take long to realize people in these towns are extremely dedicated to their communities. And why wouldn't they be? The communities are intelligent, passionate, vibrant and beautiful. The people who reside here work hard to make them great places to live, work and play--now and for future generations.

Q. What do you do when you're not working at TribLocal?
A. I am the mom of a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, so a good chunk of my time is spent chasing tricycles, reading books out loud, finger-painting projects and playing at the park. My husband, Sammy, is a tennis pro, so I often find myself on a court pretending I can actually swing a racket. If I find a moment to myself, I love independent films, concerts, reading (actual grown-up books) and swimming. I also love weekend trips back to the small town where I grew up in Michigan to see my family and have a bonfire.

Q. If you weren't a journalist, what career would you have?
A. If you weren't a journalist? That sounds like a foreign language to me. Teach journalism at a university? I think I'd also be interested in psychology, so I could still work with people and write.

Reach Tara by calling 708-498-4130, e-mailing ttesimu@tribune.com, on Twitter @triblocaltara or on Facebook.

Community Manager Heather Leszczewicz

Q. What's your journalism background?

A. I've always known I wanted to be a writer. I wasn't a kid wavering between several different aspirations. I got into the Internet early and started e-mail newsletters focusing on things that interested me or girlie advice. I started interning for a PR/Marketing firm while at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights and I worked for the school newspaper, the Viator Voice.

I majored in journalism at Marquette University and graduated. I worked at the Marquette Tribune as a jack-of-all-trades--reporter, copy editor, editor and designer--as well as the literary/news magazine the Marquette Journal. And I spent a year and a half as an intern for Milwaukee's online daily magazine OnMilwaukee.com.

I graduated in 2007, moved back to Illinois and started a position with the Chicago Sun-Times' hyperlocal, citizen journalism Web site NeighborhoodCircle.com, which is defunct. Now I'm at TribLocal which allows me to report, photograph, design and work online.

Q. What drew you to TribLocal?
A. I had already been introduced to citizen journalism at my last job and I love it. I know there are plenty of important things happening in communities that aren't getting covered. And TribLocal allows residents to have some control over their news and learn what's happening right down the block. I'm a big believer in user participation, which is why I also love (okay, am addicted to) social media. TribLocal gets the community involved.

Q. What do you like about covering Lincolnshire, Lake Zurich, Vernon Hills, Libertyville and Mundelein?
A. I previously had the chance to explore Libertyville, Vernon Hills and Mundelein and now I'm getting a chance to learn more about Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich. There's a beauty in all these communities and residents have such pride when it comes to their town. And everyone I've met has been so nice. I've also liked discovering some of the local treasures.

Q. What do you do when you're not working at TribLocal?
A. I watch a lot of TV and movies. I have a DVD collection that rivals some rental places. I love to read for fun. I've been trying to cook more, but my kitchen has limited counter space.

Q. If you weren't a journalist, what career would you have?
A. Like I said, I always wanted to be a writer. If I was forced to choose something else, I think I'd enjoy being a photographer most. I love making coffee table books full of photos and taking photos of scenery.

Reach Heather by calling 708-498-0248, e-mailing hleszczewicz@tribune.com or on Twitter @hlesztriblocal.

Read the original post on Chicago Now.

Working to ensure accessibility

In the Feb. 11 post by Heather Lesczcewicz, she introduces the new look of TribLocal as part of the smaller Chicago Tribune.

As she recounts, the redesign basically cleans up the print edition and gives us more room to fit what's important to our readers on our pages.

But there's also some changes that have a specific goal in mind: To let readers of the print edition know exactly how we work. What we know about our readers is that they are either coming to triblocal.com or reading the print edition—but not enough of them are doing both.

TribLocal has given citizen journalism an outstanding platform with its Web site, but we also offer something many hyperlocal initiatives have not: a print section with a dedicated readership. We love our Web site—and without it, we couldn't put out that print edition—but we also know landing on your doorsteps inside the Thursday Chicago Tribune gives us a distinct advantage.

So the redesign features photos of the community managers on the content page where we interact with you each week. And it reminds you on the masthead to go to the Web site. A graphic shows readers that their photos and stories can be contributed to our site and then end up in the paper.

At TribLocal, we believe the way to make "hyperlocal" and "citizen journalism" successful is accessibility. We engage with our readers and contributors as often as we can and we invite you to get in touch with us. Our aim is for the Web site to be simple to navigate, but if you're having difficulty, just call or e-mail us.

Ask any of our contributors. Once they try us, they're hooked. Most of the TribLocal contributors sign up and return often—some several times a week and some every few months. But they keep coming back. One Highland Park blogger contributes his thoughts on community issues nearly every week. Some school districts contribute multiple times a week. Libraries tell us about their events. Local photographers share their favorite shots. The people in our towns find a million ways to interact with us, and we never cease to be amazed by their talent and creativity.

We're on the Internet—in every form of social media you can think of—but we're also in your towns. We hold community workshops at libraries and in schools. And if you'd like us to hold one near you, just ask. We're also happy to arrange one-on-one meetings.

The quest to be better never ends, so we continue to look at ways to work with our communities. As we've said before, we're examining and improving TribLocal in 2010. So if ever you have ideas about how we can be better, let us know.

Those of us in the media industry talk a lot about citizen journalism. Now we at TribLocal are working hard to ensure every reader knows how to become a voice of their town.

—This post was written by Tara May Tesimu, a TribLocal Ethics and Standards Committe member, community manager and blog moderator. It is cross-posted from the TribLocal blog at Chicago Now.