May 05, 2011
Media Advisory -- Redistricting Program
A seminar later this month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will give area journalists and other media professionals insight into the redistricting process in Illinois, and also offer ideas on how to explain this complex topic and better inform the public.
The free program is from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Monday, May 16, in the conference room at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. The featured speaker is Maryam Judar, the redistricting program manager for the Elmhurst-based Citizen Advocacy Center, a non-profit, non-partisan community legal organization.
The conference is open to reporters and editors from large and small news organizations, new journalism professionals or those embarking on a new line of expertise, and journalists who want the latest information on redistricting issues.
The conference will cover issues that include what the demographic shifts in Illinois’ population means to various communities throughout the state; the Voting Rights Act and its impact on ethnic and racial communities, and the likely upcoming political battles for representation; and how new legislation will impact the state’s redistricting process. The event will also link conference participants with an expansive resource network, reference materials, and solid story ideas, and also build upon the journalists’ capacity “to engage in a detailed and thoughtful conversation with policy makers and stakeholders about Illinois’ redistricting,” according to an event flier.
The event is free, but registration by Friday, May 13, is required. To register, contact Institute project coordinator Christina Rich at 618/453-4078 or by email at clrich@siu.edu. A continental breakfast will be available.
Conference sponsors are the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the Citizen Advocacy Center, and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.