Chicago provides an ideal laboratory for experimentation in journalism, with philanthropic funding allowing journalists and their colleagues the opportunity to try out new ways of gathering news and telling stories to ensure that the city is adequately covered in an age of changing media habits.

Philadelphia is experimenting with new ways of thinking about journalism. This experiment could have an impact across the entire country. Philadelphia has become the pioneer of finding new ways to collect and distribute community information. It also helps citizens engage with their local government, and holds them accountable.

As well as receiving recognition for their reporting, the young journalists serve as mentors to other chicago illinois zip code downtown - illinoismail.top --area journalists and foster collaboration. Their goal is to rewrite the narrative of Chicago while giving back its stories to its citizens.

The TRiiBE began in February 2017 when three Black Northwestern University grads wanted to change how people viewed their hometown. They also wanted to return the ownership of stories back to local residents. The TRiiBE's goal was empowerment of community members through journalism and giving people the power to tell their stories.

Education reporters Kalyn Belsha and Melissa Sanchez have received multiple honors for their coverage of Chicago schools' digital divide. Their reporting helped to improve Chicago's technological systems. They were also named finalists in the Peter Lisagor Award in 2013, for Excellence in Education Journalism.

Sarah Karp, a staff writer for The Chicago Reporter who earned the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for her series about Chicago's incarcerated youth and their struggles to stay in school, made waves across media platforms when her stories inspired the Illinois Department of Corrections to implement changes that have improved conditions in prison, enabling inmates to re-enroll in high school or find equivalent work once released from imprisonment.

Karp received the Justice Leadership Award for her efforts on behalf of crack babys from Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities. This non-profit organization works to assist those who suffer from mental illness, substance abuse disorders or both get out jail and receive treatment in community services.

With financial challenges persisting, journalism's future remains unclear. In order to encourage innovation and not only support one model, journalism supporters need to adopt an inclusive approach that encourages all types of innovation. This includes investing in business operations in order to lower the costs of running newsrooms and create new revenue streams, coaching entrepreneurs and executives to achieve success, incentivizing partnership that promote quality news coverage across multiple cities, and encouraging partnerships that encourage fuller coverage of relevant issues.