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 the longest-running community news site based in a university setting.
Madison Commons aims to connect our communities through communication. We focus on areas that people have told us are important to our community but not covered in enough depth, including education, local food, transportation and the environment.
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.
Contact
Madison Commons Project
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
5115 Vilas Communication Hall
821 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53706-1497
Email: Publisher Kathleen Bartzen Culver, kbculver@wisc.edu