2020 Takeaways, Blue Demons basketball and presidential phone calls
Plus free COVID testing sites across Chicago
Welcome back to your favorite newsletter, our first of 2021! It’s your newsletter team – Francesca, Justin, Emmanuel, Robin, Aneesah and Cam – back to ring in a new year. We’re certainly not the first to say it, but 2020 was unforgettable in many ways – between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, months of uprisings and protests for Black lives, a historic election and everything between, it’s been a lot. The change in calendar year aside, we’re all still processing and managing an abundance of information and circumstance each and every day, including our team at 14 East.
And we’ve learned a lot in 2020 — about reporting, community, visibility, equity and more. Here are just a few of our takeaways from 2020:
Producing more inclusive content starts from within the newsroom. The events of 2020 – ranging from the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and brown communities to police violence and a heated election – brought this country’s reckoning with racial equity to the forefront of many industries, institutions and community conversations, journalism included. In order to cover these issues in a way that is comprehensive, aware and just, newsrooms need to reflect the communities they seek to serve. Accomplishing that means evaluating hiring practices, standards of conduct and more. 14 East took notes from our friends at City Bureau and removed our cover letter and resume requirement from our hiring process – read more about why here.
The news moves fast – like really, really fast. Though it’s a rather obvious point that the news is constantly developing and changing with the march of time (after all, that’s why we’re still here week after week delivering yet another round of fresh stories), the COVID-19 pandemic has put into perspective just how fast and drastically things can change. At the start of the virus’ spread, we were reporting on the then-alleged ineffectiveness of mask wearing and were yet to understand just how drastically life would be shut down and altered by COVID-19’s growing threat. In the span of just three months, we would learn just how wrong and serious these two things would become, thanks to the advancements in COVID-19 research and the virus’ spread. Under our new normal, even the best-reported articles of journalists often find themselves outdated in the span of weeks, and it really brings into perspective just how important the role of the vigilant reporter is.
Reporting techniques are not set in stone. As a large portion of the workforce shifted online and students began to learn remotely, journalists had to navigate the world of remote work, too — in-person journalism, with face-to-face interviews, wasn't always the safest option due to social distancing measures and the rise of COVID-19 cases across the city. Interviews that normally would have taken place on the street took place over the phone or Zoom; multimedia journalists faced new hurdles with new equipment, securing footage and maintaining audio and video quality without access to top-notch microphones, cameras and studios. Broadly, we all dealt with new workflows and communication channels, adapting the physical newsroom to digital spaces.
Chicago headlines
Starting in March, drivers caught by automated speed cameras across Chicago going 6 to 9 mph over the limit will start receiving tickets in the mail. Suburban Cook County will begin to offer COVID-19 vaccines solely to healthcare workers. Finally, some CPS teachers have returned to in-person learning, despite objections from the Chicago Teachers Union.
DePaul news
Last month, Radio DePaul unveiled its new website. This new look represents half a year of careful work and planning to move the web-based organization into its new home. On the site, you can find current shows, social media accounts and updates for Radio DePaul. You can also subscribe to their new newsletter, published every other week with a roundup of the latest Radio DePaul releases and organizational news. Their shows and podcasts cover a variety of topics from entertainment to news.
You may have noticed that your DePaul sign-in page to sites such as D2L and CampusConnect also has a new look, though the landing pages themselves have remained largely the same. This is part of an upgrade of DePaul’s web-based systems to BlueSky, which has replaced the former PeopleSoft system.
For most DePaul students, this shift only amounts to a slightly different appearance on sign-in pages. For campus employees, however, this completely changes how you will clock in and log into your campus accounts. In order to log in, you must have the Microsoft authenticator app installed and set up on your phone. It’s highly recommended that all university employees register with the authenticator app as soon as possible, since it is required to log onto the new system. Tutorials on how to navigate BlueSky can be found here.
Following a month-long delay, DePaul has re-entered the men’s basketball scene. The season began with a rough start, as 11 games were canceled. This was thanks to an initial outbreak of COVID-19 cases within DePaul’s own ranks, but a similar outbreak among Xavier University’s Musketeers, whom the Blue Demons were scheduled to play, further extended this delay. The slow start makes DePaul the last of the Power 6 conference teams to begin its season, but never fear, the Blue Demons ended the new year back in action.
Though their games are being played without fans, there is an opportunity to have your face added to the cardboard cutouts that will be filling the stands in support of the Blue Demons. Packages for having your face added to this inanimate crowd range from $30 to $75, with the upper price ranges entitling you to your very own signed copy of your DePaul head coach of choice. So, while you can’t be there in-person at Wintrust Arena to cheer on DePaul against Seton Hall this Saturday, you can at least pay to have a 18 inch by 32 inch 2D version of yourself set out for a strange COVID-themed “Where’s Waldo” experience and pick your face out among the throngs of other cardboard fans with your family and friends.
National headlines
The Los Angeles Times reports that President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration on January 20 will include a virtual parade. The parade will be televised and will feature performances from communities across the United States.
President Trump is urging Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results, according to The Washington Post. In a recording obtained by the paper, Trump threatened Raffensperger if he didn’t follow through on his false claims. This latest situation drew a call for criminal investigations from Democrats and is another attempt to change the outcome of the November election.
Republicans begin Congress’s 2021 session by feuding to overturn the election, according to The New York Times. Republicans are split on whether to acknowledge President Trump’s loss or to reject his attempts to overturn the results. Republicans are worried about because of what this fight might do to races in Georgia, Missouri, Ohio and Alaska in two years. In the opening session, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell alluded to the fight, but nothing more.
Vox reports Nancy Pelosi won her fourth term as House speaker. She won in a close vote 216 to 209 where she had no challengers, but still needed a simple majority to retain the speakership.
Recommendations
When you watch the HBO mini-series show Chernobyl, you’ll learn about the horrors faced by many peoples throughout the nuclear crisis at Chernobyl in Pripyat, Ukraine. Especially during these unscrupulous times when individuals in governmental power avoid accountability, Chernobyl depicts the effects of hiding the truth and the explosive damages on the human psyche and body. With the government seemingly against providing appropriate measures in times of disaster, Chernobyl advises viewers how accountability is essential in preventing man-made catastrophes.
Resources
COVID-19 Testing
All of these testing sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s seven virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all for this very first week of the year, folks! We’ll see you back in your inbox next week.
Best,
Francesca, Justin, Emmanuel, Robin, Aneesah and Cam
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