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Latino News Network has named Jimena Díaz Padilla its first Special Projects Producer, a new role that reflects the newsroom’s commitment to community-powered journalism. In this position, Díaz Padilla will continue leading Neighborhood Navigators, Illinois Latino News’ community-driven, social-media-first video initiative launching this month.
Díaz Padilla joined the project through Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Accelerator, where she worked to help develop the new product. Neighborhood Navigators was created to deliver trusted, culturally relevant information through short-form videos rooted in community experiences and local solutions. The initiative was supported through ILLN’s participation in the Accelerator and bolstered by a Journalism & Storytelling Capacity Grant from the Field Foundation of Illinois.
As part of her fellowship, Díaz Padilla played a central role in shaping the Neighborhood Navigators model. She helped transform audience research into editorial strategy, identified community outreach partners, coordinated empathy interviews with residents, and worked to ensure the project reflected the information needs of Illinois’ Latino communities. Her work helped guide the selection of the pilot neighborhood, the first Navigator, and the editorial focus of the inaugural episode.
“There’s something special about working on a project that starts with the community and is made for the community,” Díaz Padilla said. “Every story we tell begins by listening to the people who live it, and I’m thrilled to join LNN and help grow that vision through special projects that put community voices at the center.”
The first Neighborhood Navigators episode focuses on Belmont Cragin, one of Chicago’s largest Latino neighborhoods, where community research identified language access as a significant barrier for many small business owners seeking to grow their businesses. The pilot episode examines how local organizations are responding to those challenges through relationship-based support and culturally competent outreach.
“Jimena has been instrumental in shaping Neighborhood Navigators from the ground up,” said Hugo Balta, Publisher of Latino News Network. “She combines rigorous audience research, strong reporting instincts, and a deep commitment to community engagement. As our first Special Projects Producer, she will help ensure that our journalism continues to be informed by the people we serve and focused on solutions that matter in their daily lives.”
Neighborhood Navigators grew out of research conducted through the Medill Local News Accelerator, which surveyed more than 700 Hispanics and Latinos across Illinois about their information needs. The findings showed a desire for local news that reflects lived experiences and provides useful information about issues affecting daily life, particularly economic challenges. Those insights became the foundation for the series’ community-powered approach.
Earlier in the Accelerator program, Díaz Padilla emphasized the importance of building journalism from community experience outward.
“Neighborhood Navigators is an opportunity to start at the community level and build outward through storytelling,” she said. “I’m excited to collaborate with communities in shaping this series and helping create conversations around the economy that feel accessible, human, and rooted in local voices.”
In her new role, Díaz Padilla will oversee the continued development of Neighborhood Navigators, coordinate future cohorts and community partnerships, and help produce reporting that connects residents with practical, solutions-focused information delivered by trusted voices.
As Latino News Network expands its digital-first strategy, the newsroom sees Neighborhood Navigators as a model for how local journalism can build trust, strengthen civic participation, and better serve Latino communities across the state. With Díaz Padilla helping lead that effort, the organization is investing in a future where community members are not just audiences for journalism, but active partners in creating it.
