Cicero Independiente FAQ

When was Cicero Independiente founded?

Three community residents founded Cicero Independiente in 2019 to address the significant gap in independent bilingual news coverage for communities of color in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago. Our founders, April Alonso, Irene Romulo, and Ankur Singh, who were raised and lived in Cicero, recognized the presence of institutional barriers that hindered the participation of individuals, particularly Spanish-speaking immigrants, in local decision-making arenas and the vital need for inclusive and representative reporting to change the status quo. In response, they founded a news organization by, for, and about people of color to empower community members as narrators of their own stories.

Why was it founded?

Cicero Independiente’s mission is to serve the diverse communities of Cicero and Berwyn with inclusive and bilingual news and storytelling opportunities that elevate local voices and foster civic engagement. We envision a future in which every member of the community in Cicero and Berwyn is informed, engaged, and empowered to tell their own stories, shaping the narrative of their community. 

Since the early 1990s, Cicero has undergone a dramatic shift in population. What was once a majority-white sundown town is now majority Latinx. Cicero has a population of 81,919 residents; 88% of the population identifies as Latinx, and at least 39% of residents are immigrants. Cicero’s median household income is $58,433, approximately 19% lower than the state average income in Illinois. Similarly, Berwyn has a population of 55,021 people, 62% identifying as Latinx and 26% as immigrants. The median household income in Berwyn is 11% lower than the state average. While the primary mission of Cicero Independiente is dedicated to serving our entire community, we also ensure this includes the delivery of programming aimed at engaging the youth population in the area. Young adults represent the largest growing demographic group in Cicero and Berwyn, and they often serve as a critical bridge between their immigrant parents and U.S. society. They are eager to get involved and make a difference but, like their parents, face significant systemic barriers. We are committed to supporting these young individuals by providing the resources and platforms they need to navigate these challenges and become active, empowered members of our community.

Low-income, immigrant and suburban communities, like Cicero and Berwyn, have experienced a chronic lack of investment and resources allocated to community development. Social and economic inequalities, combined with disparities in political representation and lack of access to information, create an imbalance of power. In Cicero, local governments have a history of corruption and operate with little transparency. Systemic racism and classism within local governments limit community power by excluding residents’ voices from decision-making spaces, and there are few opportunities for residents to shape media about them. 

Despite these challenges, community members seek spaces of belonging and are looking for ways to make change. Cicero Independiente’s reporting is directly responsive to this need. We prioritize learning about local information needs and prioritize community engagement. We focus on accessibility and strive to dismantle barriers that hinder participation, such as language and lack of access to technology. Through our reporting, we not only shed light on our community's challenges but also offer resources that enable residents to take an active role in addressing issues. In short, our reporting goes beyond just raising awareness; it is a catalyst for change, prompting individuals and groups to mobilize, advocate, and work toward meaningful solutions for a stronger Cicero and Berwyn. 

What is the objective of Cicero Independiente?

Cicero Independiente’s reporting is available through a bilingual print edition and our digital channels. Our bilingual print edition is published quarterly and is available at 50 locations throughout Cicero and Berwyn. Our digital reporting is published weekly on our website and promoted through social media and our email newsletter. Cicero Independiente engages 220,000 (this changes based on period we’re trying to show)  individuals annually. All of our reporting is available free of charge to our community. To effectively reach our intended audience, Cicero Independiente employs a diverse range of vehicles and methods:

Bilingual Print Edition: We distribute our quarterly print edition at local community spaces such as laundromats, grocery stores, and ice cream shops. By making physical copies readily available, we cater to community members who do not have internet access and those who prefer to access information through printed materials. Our print edition reaches 3,500 patrons annually.

Digital Platforms: We reach a diverse and digitally connected audience through our website, social media channels, and email newsletters. Cicero Independiente reaches over 22,000 individuals monthly through our digital platforms. 

Community Events and Local Organizing: We organize public events and attend community spaces to foster direct engagement and facilitate meaningful dialogue. These gatherings serve as platforms to present our findings, invite community members to ask questions and gather valuable feedback. By engaging with our target audience in person, we strengthen our connection and ensure their active involvement in our initiatives. 

Mentorship: We provide training and mentorship to local residents so that they can gain journalism skills. Residents are paid as freelance journalists to attend government meetings, write news articles, create illustrations, and photograph local events. We also have a paid 10-week reporting fellowship program in which residents gain journalism skills and work collaboratively on a reporting project. 

Cicero Independiente  is fortunate to work with a range of community members, organizations, and partners in our mission to bring impactful journalism to Cicero and Berwyn. Our presence and reputation in the community have grown as we continue to make strides in our work. We have become a recognized voice advocating for government accountability, amplifying community concerns, and shedding light on important local issues. Some of our local partners include youth service agencies, mental health providers, nonprofit coalitions and legal aid organizations. These include organizations such as Corazon, Youth Crossroads, Green Latinos, Berwyn Cicero Rapid Response Network, Berwyn Community Cares, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Cicero Family Services. We believe in fostering a network of organizations in town that can support local change. 

Partnerships with other newsrooms have allowed us to expand our capacity for reporting and reach new audiences. Collaborations with partners such as MuckRock (a non-profit that assists in filing Freedom of Information Act requests, publishes obtained information, and encourages investigative journalism) and Borderless Magazine (a Chicago-based nonprofit journalism focused on immigration coverage) have provided added editorial capacity and co-learning opportunities on a range of issues. During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last year, our newsroom also joined forces with reporters from several local independent newsrooms in order to create a network of support for journalists. These journalists have stayed in touch to support each other around safety concerns under Trump. Our newsroom has contributed reporting tips, sources and training opportunities. Together with at least nine other newsrooms in this network, we have launched investigative reporting projects to report on federal agents’ violence against local residents. 

Although our mentorship term ended with the Listening Post Collective, the newsroom partners we met there continue to be a great network of support including Conecta Arizona, USpark, Lede New Orleans and Documented. We have not conducted any editorial collaborations but we share advice, funding tips and emotional support. We have also worked a lot with the International Women's Media Foundation to develop safety protocols for our newsroom and to teach other newsrooms about what practical steps they can take to ensure freelance and staff member safety. 

Regarding partnerships within our community, we regularly work with freelance writers, many of whom don't have journalism backgrounds but have important stories to share. Freelancers that work with us can qualify to receive wellness stipends as well as have access to our Safety Fund which will provide funds for relocation or other safety measures in the event of an emergency such as being doxxed or facing online harassment. 

Who owns Cicero Independiente?

Cicero Independiente is an independent nonprofit organization. A steering committee composed of staff members collaboratively decides organizational priorities, budget and programming decisions. An independent board oversees the work to ensure compliance with laws and other fiduciary responsibilities. No funders, whether institutional or individual, have a say in our editorial publications or overall work. 

Where does our funding come from?

The majority of our funding comes from institutional partners. In the past years we have received funding from foundations including:

2023

Driehaus Foundation

Chicago Community Trust 

Voqal Foundation

Healthy Communities Foundation

Builders Initiative 

Impact Architects/Walton Family Foundation

Ford Foundation

Borealis Philanthropy Racial Equity in Journalism Fund

2024

Healthy Communities Foundation

Chicago Community Trust:  Press Forward & Building Collective Power

MacArthur Foundation Press Forward

Crossroads Fund

Square One Foundation

Press Forward National

Borealis Philanthropies

Emerson Collective

Driehaus Foundation

Field Foundation

Voqal

Why do we receive funding from the above funders?

Cicero Independiente applies for funding in order to meet the information needs of our community and to provide all of our content and program for free. We have applied for funding from the foundations above because of their alignment with our mission. While we accept their funding, none have an influence in the editorial direction of our work.  

The importance of trusted journalism cannot be overstated. A recent survey found that half of Americans believe there is misinformation or biased persuasion in reporting (Gallup and the Knight Foundation, 2022). Investing in journalism is critical in an era marked by skepticism towards national news organizations. By supporting journalism, funders contribute to the resilience of informed and engaged communities and help to foster a sense of trust and connection that transcends challenges of distrust in the contemporary media landscape. At Cicero Independiente, we understand that different generations need and consume information differently and so we tailor our work to our different audiences. We are the only newsroom currently addressing the needs of the majority bilingual communities of the southwest suburbs we cover. While major networks come to the area when major events happen, they do not have a consistent or intentional presence in our towns. Our work is unique in our commitment to bilingualism, community-centric reporting, and our paid programs which equip residents with journalism skills.