Local Journalism Task Force
Board and Commission Details
Meeting Information
​The Task Force shall meet a minimum of 5 times to review, study, and analyze existing literature as well as quantitative and qualitative data on the status of journalism in the State of Illinois.
Contact Name
Emily Bolton
Contact Title
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Function
The Local Journalism Task Force is established to: (1) conduct a comprehensive, nonbinding study relative to communities underserved by local journalism in Illinois; and (2) review all aspects of local journalism including, but not limited to, the adequacy of press coverage of communities, the ratio of residents to media outlets, the history of local news in Illinois, print and digital business models for media outlets, the impact of social media on local news, strategies to improve local news access, and public policy solutions to improve the sustainability of local press business models and private and nonprofit solutions.
Senate Confirmation
No
Composition
The Task Force shall include the following members: one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and one member appointed by the Governor. The Task Force shall also include the following members appointed by the Governor: one representative of the Chicago News Guild; one representative of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communication Workers of America; one representative of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University; one representative of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield; one representative of the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; one representative of the Illinois Press Association; one representative of the Illinois Broadcasters Association; one representative of the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association; one representative of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council; one representative of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association; one representative of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; one representative of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance; one representative of the National Association of Black Journalists; one representative of the Association of LGBTQ Journalists; one representative of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; one representative of the Asian American Journalists Association; one representative of the Native American Journalists Association; and one representative of the Illinois Municipal League.
Authority
20 ILCS 4108
Member Names
| Name | Member Expiration | Member Since | Affiliation | Appointed By | Position | Title | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vella, Rep. Dave | 08/24/2021 | Speaker of the House of Representatives | Member | Member of the House of Representatives | |||
| Butler, Rep. Tim | 09/14/2021 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives | Member | Member of the House of Representatives | |||
| Stadelman, Sen. Steve | 01/08/2025 | 05/24/2022 | President of the Senate | Member | Member of the Senate | ||
| DeWitte, Sen. Don | 10/21/2021 | Minority Leader of the Senate | Member | Member of the Senate | |||
| Abudayyeh, Jordan | 09/02/2021 | Governor | Member | ||||
| Jacob, Mark | 03/16/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Chicago News Guild | ||||
| Willadsen, Christopher | 03/16/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America | ||||
| Franklin, Timothy | 04/19/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University | ||||
| Piscia, Jason | 03/16/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield | ||||
| Han, Dong | 02/03/2023 | Governor | Member, representative of the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale | ||||
| Fisher,Sammy R. | 11/10/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois Press Association | ||||
| Myers, Tim | 11/04/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois Broadcasters Association | ||||
| Petty, Allison Ann | 05/26/2023 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association | ||||
| Eccles, Randy | 02/10/2023 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council | Sangamon | |||
| Dooley, Jennifer | 11/10/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association | ||||
| Layser, Nicole | 03/16/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | ||||
| Moore Wolfe, Julie | 08/29/2022 | Governor | Member, representative of the Illinois Municipal League | ||||
| Del Toro Huerta, Jose de Jesus | 11/10/2022 | Governor | Member, Representative of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance | ||||
| McGhee, Josh | 11/10/2022 | Governor | Member, Representative of the National Association of Black Journalists | ||||
| Rhodes, Adam | 11/18/2022 | Governor | Member, Representative of the Association of LGBTQ Journalists | ||||
| VACANT | Governor | Member, Representative of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists | |||||
| VACANT | Governor | Member, Representative of the Asian American Journalists Association | |||||
| VACANT | Governor | Member, Representative of the Native American Journalists Association |