{"id":5064742,"date":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/illatinonews.com\/?p=5064742"},"modified":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","slug":"illinois-latino-news-medill-accelerator-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/2026\/04\/20\/illinois-latino-news-medill-accelerator-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"Medill Accelerator Taps Illinois Latino News to Strengthen Community Reporting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illinois Latino News (ILLN), an affiliate of the Latino News Network (LNN)<\/a>, has been selected by Northwestern University\u2019s Medill Local News Initiative<\/a> to participate in the 2024 Medill Local News Accelerator. The program provides participating outlets with coaching, research insights, and product\u2011development support aimed at deepening engagement and building resilient business models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mission of the Medill Local News Accelerator is to support all types of media outlets across Chicago and in the Chicagoland area by offering consultation and support in five key areas: consumer market research, product and process, business strategy, content strategy, and executive leadership development,\u201d said Yazmin Dominguez, Assistant Director, Local News Accelerator<\/a>. \u201c<\/a>By offering this support, the Medill Local News Accelerator aims to strengthen outlets\u2019 business models and operations, thereby increasing the sustainability of local news in the Chicagoland market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ILLN\u2019s selection follows Publisher Hugo Balta<\/a>\u2019s completion of the Medill Media Innovation and Leadership Academy (MILA) last March. MILA is an executive education program that equips local news leaders with training in business strategy, product development, and organizational management to help them build stronger, more adaptive newsrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A direct outcome of Balta\u2019s participation in MILA was the creation of Neighborhood Navigators, ILLN\u2019s social\u2011media\u2011video-first, community\u2011powered news initiative. The series trains trusted Latino residents to produce verified, bilingual, solutions\u2011focused videos about issues affecting their own neighborhoods. Rather than relying on distant legacy media institutions, the model delivers accurate, culturally grounded information through community messengers people already trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balta said ILLN\u2019s selection for the Accelerator underscores the importance of community\u2011powered journalism in strengthening civic life. \u201cThis opportunity reinforces our newsrooms\u201d belief that when Latino residents are empowered to tell their own stories, journalism becomes a tool for connection, dignity, and civic participation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of its Accelerator project, ILLN will be gathering feedback from Latino communities across Illinois to help shape the next phase of Neighborhood Navigators. The newsroom emphasizes that the public is more than an audience \u2014 they are collaborators whose lived experience and insight guide editorial priorities. Community input will influence story selection, video formats, and the training needs of future Navigators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ILLN will also be seeking partner organizations across the state to help identify trusted local candidates who can serve as Neighborhood Navigators. These partners \u2014 from community groups to service organizations to cultural institutions \u2014 will play a key role in ensuring the Navigators reflect the diversity, credibility, and lived experience of the communities they represent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Local News Accelerator is excited to work with IL Latino News in our upcoming cohort. By working with ILLN, we can better provide Latino residents of Chicago and the state with accessible, relevant information that is important to their daily lives. The Latino population needs more coverage that is representative of Latinos, by Latinos. We look forward to working with ILLN to strengthen this area of local journalism. And, bring the already strong reporting of Latinos to a wider audience,\u201d Dominguez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By combining Medill\u2019s research\u2011driven support with ILLN\u2019s community\u2011rooted reporting model, the partnership aims to strengthen local information ecosystems and ensure Latino residents have access to trustworthy, culturally relevant news in the places they already gather \u2014 online and in daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cover Photo: LNN Publisher, Hugo Balta, presents Neighborhood Navigators as part of Medill Media Innovation and Leadership Academy (MILA). Credit Hannah Carroll, @hannahinchicagophoto on Instagram.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The Latino population needs more coverage that is representative of Latinos, by Latinos. We look forward to working with ILLN.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5064748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,173],"tags":[490,191,491,492],"ppma_author":[197],"class_list":["post-5064742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-education","tag-community-powered-journalism","tag-latino-news-network","tag-medill-local-news-accelerator","tag-neighborhood-navigators"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944.png",754,621,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944-300x247.png",300,247,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944.png",754,621,false],"large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944.png",754,621,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944.png",754,621,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-19-175944.png",754,621,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"LNN","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/author\/jermainesmith\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\"The Latino population needs more coverage that is representative of Latinos, by Latinos. 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