Outlier Media puts Detroiters at the center of our work. We know our friends and neighbors want more transparency when it comes to knowing about what’s happening in Detroit. Over the last several months, we’ve heard about several city councilmembers being under FBI investigation; an unreliable public transportation system making more cuts to its service; and a public school system facing more school closures. Many Detroiters want to know what’s going on and how it will affect their daily lives.
Historically, Detroit’s legacy news outlets had reporters – city hall reporters – dedicated to covering local government. Those journalists kept the public informed about crucial decisions being made at Detroit’s city hall, known as the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Each day at city hall, important meetings take place—like the City Council approving the mayor’s budget for the year, the Planning and Economic Committee unanimously approving a motion to discuss the Right to Counsel ordinance during a formal session with a public hearing, or Detroit Public Schools Community District board members announcing that the district is considering shifting toward a mask-optional policy in response to lower COVID rates.
As newsrooms started shrinking, so did the number of city hall reporters, which meant Detroiters were left in the dark. That’s why, starting in June, we’re expanding our coverage of city government. Thanks to a generous grant from Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities, we’ve secured some of the funding to support a new reporter on this beat. But, we still need more funds to make this coverage a reality for 2022.
From April 14 through June 9, we are asking our community to help us expand city government reporting for Detroit. Our new reporter will cover issues that you — and your friends and neighbors — care about. This will allow you to easily know what’s going on in the city, and how it affects your life.
We hope we can count on you to join the 313 Outliers campaign and stand with us to improve accountability in city government, for all Detroiters. Donate today!
