John Volk

Dec 15, 2024 | barnraisingmedia.com | Paul Farhi |John Volk |Maija Hecht

The findings are based on results from 193 of the 206 counties Medill has identified as news deserts, in states where county-level election results are currently available. The third annual State of Local News report, released by Medill’s Local News Initiative in October, documented the continuing decline of local news across the country, as measured by the number of newspapers, circulation, frequency of publication, employment and readership.

Dec 13, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Paul Farhi |John Volk

Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts — counties lacking a professional source of local news — it was an avalanche. Trump won 91% of these counties over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of voting data by Medill Journalism School’s State of Local News project. While Trump’s national popular-vote margin was just under 1.5%, his margin in news deserts was massive.

May 17, 2023 | news.medill.northwestern.edu | John Volk

By John VolkMedill ReportsArslan Ahmed Rana, 33, sits quietly in the back room of his Johannesburg tailor shop. His blue-checkered suit flatters his build, and he’s taken great care to coif his hair and line up his short beard. But the dark circles under his eyes tell a different story. He pushes his palms into his knees and sighs as he lifts himself from his chair. “We’ve been talking for an hour,” Rana said.

May 4, 2023 | news.medill.northwestern.edu | John Volk

By John VolkMedill ReportsDoes your Scrabble rack leave you feeling like Old MacDonald? Don’t worry — there’s so much you can do with E-I-E-I-O. The game accepts 107 two-letter words, and 67 of them contain E, I or O. Learn all 107 and prepare to win your next family game night. These shorties unlock new ways to play multiple words at a time, double-dip on high-scoring words, exploit point-boosting squares and challenge your opponent’s “phonies” off the board.

Mar 7, 2023 | news.medill.northwestern.edu | John Volk

By John VolkMedill ReportsLisa Cole is George Halas — that is, if the Chicago Bears founder and owner were a 29-year-old gay woman with a penchant for blue jeans. Two decades ago, Cole, now 49, founded the Chicago Force, the city’s first professional women’s tackle football team. A Massachusetts native and marketing specialist by day, Cole’s passion project to meet new people in a new city grew larger than she ever expected.