Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative is a dynamic group of 12 partners representing media, educational or community organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism.
Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative’s mission is to support and enhance the news ecosystem in Southwest Michigan, to provide accurate and equitable coverage, and to promote diversity of voices among journalists and sources alike.
With this mission, SWMJC hopes to gain greater equity in news coverage, diversity in newsrooms, and engagement between journalists and their audiences to build trust.
Guiding Principles and Values
The following guiding principles and values were established by collaborative members to guide their ways of being as well as collaborative efforts:
- Accountability
- Collaboration
- Equity
- Ethical Journalism Practices
- Inclusion
- Solutions
- Sustainability
- Trust
Media & Community Partners
- Community Voices
- Encore Magazine
- MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette
- New/Nueva Opinion
- Now Kalamazoo
- Public Media Network
- Second Wave Media
- Watershed Voice
- WMU School of Communication
- WMU Student Media Group
- WMUK Public Radio 102.1 FM
Funding Partners
Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative receives financial support from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, established in 1925, with the mission to mobilize people, resources and expertise to advance racial, social and economic justice in Kalamazoo County.
Solutions Journalism Network, with the mission to spread the practice of solutions journalism, provides financial support to the collaborative’s Mental Wellness Project.
Board Members
- Sue Ellen Christian, Western Michigan University
- Gordon Evans, WMUK
- Jesus Grillo, New/Nueva Opinion
- Alek Haak-Frost, Watershed Voice
- Kathy Jennings, Southwest Michigan Second Wave
- Ben Lando, NowKalamazoo
- Marie Lee, Encore
Policies
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Corrections Policy
- Donor Transparency Policy
- Editorial Independence Policy