In an era of digital overload and misinformation, facts alone often struggle to capture audience attention. This workshop explores how journalists can ethically and powerfully connect with communities on an emotional level to deepen trust, strengthen audience engagement, strengthen revenue models, and sustain journalism's civic role.

This session is designed for journalists, editors, and media professionals seeking to protect and advance the future of journalism. Attendees will gain practical tools to emotionally engage audiences while maintaining ethical standards, ultimately contributing to more robust and sustainable news organizations.

Presenter: Rob Golub, Founder and Editor, Successful Journalism for Communities / SuccessfulJournalism.com

From Zohran Mamdani and Vice President Kamala Harris to Amb. Nikki Haley and Second Lady Usha Vance, South Asian Americans are increasingly prominent members of our society. Illinois’ South Asian population has doubled in the last 25 years and now represents 44 per cent of Illinois’ Asian American population.

Despite this prominence, journalists often poorly understand the complexities of South Asian Americans that are united and divided across identity markers including national origin, language, gender, caste, faith, political ideology, sexual orientation, sector and beyond.

Recent complex developments in the community have challenged local media outlets, including:

- Steve Bannon being announced as Co-Chair of the Carol Stream, Illinois based Republican Hindu Coalition;

- The burning of the holy Quran in Naperville, Illinois allegedly by a South Asian American teenager;

- Northwestern University and others adding caste as a protected category to combat discrimination within the South Asian American community;

- Local legislation including a failed Chicago City Council Resolution and amended bill to establish a South Asian American Advisory Council to the Governor;

- The U.S. Department of Justice charging a foreign government employee with plotting the assassination of Sikh Americans;

And beyond.

In an era marked by increasing disinformation propagated via social media, foreign governments and media, and the outsized influence of wealthy private interests, independent media and community members must equip themselves to better understand the South Asian American community in order to ensure fact-based reporting and safeguard their reputations.

Join this panel of journalists and community leaders for a timely and engaging discussion that will help you better understand our growing South Asian American community.

Presenters: Rummana Hussain, Columnist and Opinion Pages Editor, Chicago Sun-Times, Pushkar Sharma, Executive Director, SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy), Ankur Singh, Freelance Journalist, Adora Namigadde, Religion News Service & Interfaith America Religion Journalism Fellowship

This one-hour session offers a transparent, in-progress look at how the AP Fund for Journalism is building a new model to strengthen local news through shared tools, resources and innovation. Thanks to philanthropic support, the Local News Pilot currently connects about 50 nonprofit news organizations with free access to AP content and services that help local outlets expand their coverage and capacity. The program has plans to expand in 2026.

Participants will get an inside view of how the pilot works: what tools and offerings are available, what’s being developed next, and what we’re learning along the way. Attendees can also find out how to express interest in participating.

Designed for journalists and community groups that support them, the session also invites input on what resources, tools or collaborations would make the greatest impact in their local context. The goal is to share not just what’s being built, but to open a dialogue on how this kind of collaborative infrastructure could evolve to better meet the needs of small and community-rooted newsrooms.

Presenters: Rachel Aretakis, Associated Press Fund for Journalism, Kim Johnson Flodin, Associated Press

Immigration coverage is more necessary than ever. A group of journalists and community leaders will discuss recent partnerships to increase immigration reporting and get resources and information to impacted communities.

Presenters: Taylor Moore, Program Specialist, Press Forward Chicago, Kimbriell Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Public Media, Grace Chan McKibben, Executive Director, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, April Alonso, Digital Editor, Cicero Independiente, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Reporter, Block Club Chicago

Partnership and collaboration are more than trendy buzzwords. With uncertainty, limited time, and shrinking resources, working together is essential. This workshop presents solutions for meeting your mission, with new ideas, the strength of expanded creativity, and the efficiency of pooled resources. We’ll also provide tips on how organizational culture can drive adverse outcomes or increase real, lasting, and meaningful collaboration.

The panel will share perspectives from a small business book owner and community anchor, a performer and writer, a university-affiliated center for the arts, a veteran publisher

And a consultant specializing in supporting the arts and nonprofits moderated by Sylvia Ewing a former journalist and communications strategist with experience in coalitions, events, and organizational change.

Presenters: Brian Hieggelke, Newcity, Juana Guzman, I Juana Know, Emily Hooper-Lansana, University of Chicago, Jurema Gorham, Burst into Books, Sylvia Ewing, VP of Journalism and Media Engagement, Public Narrative