There are some stories only Parkers can write.

Greetings Parkers, and welcome to Highland Park People's Voice! The People's Voice is a not-for-profit news hub bringing to your device or smart phone the latest in local news by, for and about the community of Highland Park. Our purpose is to inform and engage you, the residents of Highland Park, about events and issues impacting our city. Occasionally we might also make a point of informing other people in surrounding communities about Highland Park. The volunteer journalists of the People's Voice are your neighbors and have committed to reporting on local news with honesty, integrity and love for the Highland Park community. We encourage any Highland Parker who would like to share a news story to call Lisa at the number below for information about how to submit a draft.

The People's Voice grew from a conversation at Nandi's Knowledge Cafe among neighbors who stopped in for a bite on election night 2022. As we discussed the unusual write-in local election, collectively we agreed that a source for up-to-date local news is needed in HP so residents can be better informed about the candidate pool during elections and more generally about current events in our community. We agreed that we would start a news hub for Highland Park and that each of us would contribute regularly. We also agreed that writing for the news hub will be open to all Highland Parkers willing to write articles taking more than one side of a story into account and opinion pieces that use civil language.

It turns out, communities across the United States have been having the same conversation over the past 10 years. Local newspapers have struggled to stay in business. Many have been snapped up by large media corporations and stripped of their local character. Some are hanging on with fewer resources to cover all of the local news they would like to cover. Meanwhile social media has filled in the gap for local residents around the nation where once we were informed by more researched reporting. While social media has become an important component of commentary in recent years, generally it is heavy on opinion and light on the side of independent investigation.

There is a reason why Freedom of the Press is enshrined in the First Amendment. While we all enjoy freedom of speech in the United States, "the press" and by extrapolation today the "news media," has a special role in the democratic process. According to the ACLU:

"The freedom of the press, protected by the First Amendment, is critical to a democracy in which the government is accountable to the people. A free media functions as a watchdog that can investigate and report on government wrongdoing. It is also a vibrant marketplace of ideas, a vehicle for ordinary citizens to express themselves and gain exposure to a wide range of information and opinions."

Even more relevant to Highland Park today, I would like to add that the free press is also critical for voters to make informed democratic decisions. In the lead up to elections, the press plays a vital role in informing the public about the principles and platforms upon which each candidate stands. An impartial press gives equal space to the platform of each candidate. Highland Park People's Voice will be that impartial press for Highland Park, making statements available from each candidate so that Parkers can cast our votes with confidence.

The Highland Park People's Voice plans over the next few months to bring you important, up-to-date local news on the topics of The Water Lawsuit and other Top News, City Affairs, Business, Education, Art & Culture, and the Environment. We also have an opinion page and a space for local organizations and businesses to make announcements. In the future we hope to offer blogs for residents on our opinion page, a classified section and proper advertisements for organizations and businesses.

Thanks for reading the Highland Park People's Voice. If you would like to work on a story, you can find out more about writing for our news hub, by calling the Editor's phone at 313-333-5987. I look forward to hearing from you!!

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