Madison Commons is a hyperlocal news site providing information and connections throughout the community. It is powered by undergraduate and graduate students in the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Founded in 2006 under the guidance of Prof. Lew Friedland, Madison Commons is one of the longest-running community-based news sites based in a university setting. The name comes from the idea of a village commons, a place for news, talk, debate--and some entertainment, too--that's open to everyone.
Now led by Publisher Sue Robinson, Editor Stacy Forster and Managing Editor Louisa Kamps, Madison Commons is run as a kind of laboratory for innovating journalism, learning engagement practices and collaborating with community partners. We use this space to teach students — both undergraduate and professional-track MA students — how to build trust and produce content that is not only factual but also solutions-oriented. We strive to amplify the marginalized voices of Madison and Dane County.
We focus on areas that people have told us are important to their communities, especially positive and solutions-oriented pieces that highlight the hyperlocal, people, events and issues such as education, arts and culture, sports, environment and sustainability, health and city life. We think of ourselves as working within the communities around us, helping to better ourselves and to work toward resolving intractable problems, and to otherwise make life a little easier for all of us.
Some of our stories come from our student reporters and editors. Others come from community members or local bloggers. We have also started a partnership with the adult continuing education program called The Odyssey Project and run some of the stories produced by those students. Other information comes from local data that we’ve pulled together because it might be useful or interesting. If you have a topic that you want us to report on, or just some information to share, let us know by emailing Stacy Forster.
Past Madison Commons reporters have gone on to report at prestigious organizations, including the Wall Street Journal, Voice of San Diego, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Guardian, the Capital Times, News 3 Now and many more.
The Commons has been sponsored and supported by the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Morgridge Center for Public Service, UW-Madison, WISC-TV/Channel 3000, and Community Shares of Wisconsin. We have also received important funding from J-Lab, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Currently, we have partnerships with Community Shares, in addition to the Odyssey Project. Please email us at Sue Robinson if you have an idea for a collaboration with us!
Annual Reports
Contact
Madison Commons
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
5115 Vilas Communication Hall
821 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53706-1497
Email: Publisher Susan Robinson, robinson4@wisc.edu
