The news, for me, has become a way to measure the day. It is the familiar murmur of radio voices wafting through the morning, and the hunger for lunchtime headlines. I bounce from national to local to international back to national, the news ticker in my head trying to keep pace with the daily cycle. My day ends with the local news: the Madison365 email update, and the stories that resurface at home and are rehashed on social media.
“The News” feels like a collective unconscious ― impossible to disconnect from and at times dangerous to avoid. Its only promise is its clockwork reliability.
But there is still “news,” too ― lowercase and tangible. It can also be overwhelming. It can take place next door in the state Capitol and still feel distant. It can drift into the stream of unstoppable headlines and we can forget that it was written down the street, and that it is a story about our neighbors.
When the news floods, I anchor myself in the stories that center people. People like Richard Garner Jr., Tom Glassel, Alissa Kulinski and Jada Matson. Like many local media outlets, the Northside News is filled with these stories. So is Madison365, an online news platform by and for Wisconsin’s communities of color.
At the end of June, the Northside News announced a content-sharing agreement with Madison365. While our coverage will remain focused on the Northside, we will republish Madison365 content relevant to our readers online and in our bimonthly paper edition.
Madison365 will also republish stories from the Northside News. These stories about the Northside community will reach a broader audience through Madison365; perhaps these articles, written by and for Northsiders but reaching Madisonians on the east, south and west sides, (and vice versa) will help to disappear the distance that still wedges between readers of Madison’s news.
You can learn more about Madison365 at Madison365.com. Visit Facebook.com/TheNorthsideNews to follow future updates between issues.
Along with stories centered on people, this issue is filled with requests for volunteers. The North/Eastside Senior Coalition, the Northside Farmers Market and The River Food Pantry, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, East High School Math and East Madison Community Center are all seeking volunteers. Additional requests from groups like the Circle of Friends and from Northside Planning Council programs are included only in the online edition of the paper. Visit the Northside News Facebook page throughout August to see these volunteer opportunities highlighted.
As a part of the Northside Planning Council (NPC) 25th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 7, the Northside News will release a survey for readers to share thoughts about the newspaper. The survey is an opportunity to provide feedback about what you enjoy in the newspaper, what might be changed and what you would like to see more of. As NPC launches a community visioning process, the information collected will help to inform where the Northside News invests its energy.
In the meantime, we always welcome letters to the editor. You can reach the Northside News via email (included below), or via mail:
Northside News
1219 North Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53704