To a more-than-packed house at Luna Taqueria and Cocina last night, 13 winners of Excellence in Citizen Journalism Awards were revealed, celebrating the incredible accomplishments of local voices in Grand Rapids in 2015.
"As we looked at the analytics at the end of the year, my hunch was confirmed: you guys got brave in 2015," Managing Editor Holly Bechiri said in opening remarks to cheers. "So we knew we wanted to celebrate your accomplishments."
Bechiri said just narrowing down to five nominees in the eight categories was difficult enough, and choosing a "winner" out of those selected was even harder.
“It was affirming and energizing to be in a room with all of the community members who make The Rapidian possible and to see how they all supported and encouraged each other as well," says Briana Ureña-Ravelo, Community Engagement Specialist at The Rapidian. "So many just needed to read a nametag or get the beginning of a description for an article and they were familiar with the author’s work. That’s the kind of environment we want to continue to encourage and grow for the city of Grand Rapids.”
The Rapidian, powered by citizen journalism with the assistance of tools, training and mentorship for reporters, prides itself in being a hyperlocal news source that is open and welcoming to all voices in our community.
"We only have two rules: it has to be about the Grand Rapids community- meaning the City of Grand Rapids on the map and just the suburbs that touch GR on the map, plus Ada- and it has to follow journalism ethics and rules," says Bechiri. "If you agree to those two standards, we will publish and champion your story."
Bechiri says the assistance of both her team and volunteer editorial mentors helps reporters learn about AP guidelines and standards of journalism ethics, so potential reporters don't have to feel like they understand journalism in order to be able to publish a high-quality article on their platform.
"We have a lot of articles that celebrate all of the amazing things happening in our growing city. But every time that we publish one that isn't absolutely positive, we get accused of bad journalism," she laughs. "The truth is, though, that journalism is designed to and required to 'be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable,' according to the Society of Professional Journalists' Ethics Code. That's not easy to do, and we're proud of our citizen journalists for being willing to do that, and to share their own perspectives and stories within the framework of good journalism. And we're honored to be able to guide and assist them in doing it well."
The Rapidian, as a proud service of the nonprofit organization the Community Media Center, depends not just on community content but on financial support from the community, as well.
"In order for our city to grow into a community that is truly diverse, sustainable and equitable, it's critical that we include the voices of everyone - including those with less social and economic power. The Rapidian is that platform. As West Michigan's only non-profit, citizen-led media source, The Rapidian is driven by donors, not by pageviews and private stakeholders, and it empowers people and conversations in our community that would otherwise go unheard," says Marjorie Steele, Rapidian reporter and recipient of an award at last night's event.
If you'd like to get involved in sharing community news, information and stories, get started as a citizen journalist.
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All photos courtesy of Eric Tank, Eric Bouwens, and many attendees. For a full attribution for all photos, please see our Flickr album.
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