From the editor
-
From left: Emmanuel Carreno, Liv Schmitz, Katrina Koppa
Assignment: Make an ‘Isthmus’ cover
Isthmus cover illustrator Mitchell Volk recreated the experience for his graphic design students at UW-Madison. Read more
What’s meant by a media embargo?
'Embargoes have historically been about giving reporters a head start so they can make the story as good as possible before publication,' says Sue Robinson, a former reporter who is now a journalism professor at UW-Madison. Read more
Mar 12, 2024
Submitted photo
Is Wisconsin ready to fund local news with public money?
State Rep. Jimmy Anderson is the author of a package of bills to help make local news more robust. They call for state funding. Read more
Feb 2, 2024
Yeko Photo Studio
Reaching readers outside of social media
The old social media platforms are not doing much to drive traffic to news sites anymore. What’s next for Isthmus and other news organizations when it comes to reader engagement? Read more
Jan 8, 2024
‘Happy to be part of this journey’
Believers in journalism and Isthmus are contributors to the paper’s year-end matching campaign. Read more
Dec 11, 2023
Krystal Pence
Nonprofit media crash course
This year we’ve been focused on learning how to build our fundraising capabilities, advertising revenues, membership program and base of donor support. Learning how to build a strong board of directors and put the expertise of directors to work. Read more
Nov 8, 2023
Trains, planes and automobiles
'We travel, but we are never really on vacation,' says Shereen Siewert, founder and publisher of Wausau Pilot & Review, which has four full-time employees and one part-timer. Read more
Oct 9, 2023
Courtesy of Wausau Pilot & Revie
When a small, nonprofit news site gets sued for defamation
Founder and publisher Shereen Siewert says the Pilot did its due diligence before naming Cory Tomczyk, now a state senator, as the source of a homophobic slur. She says she is '100 percent confident in our reporting.' Read more
Sep 11, 2023
9:00 AM
Happy Isthmus rebootiversary #2
In April 2021 Isthmus became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We returned to print in August 2021, 17 months after the shutdown. We have not missed a month since and are now a small staff of 6.5. Read more
Aug 4, 2023
3:30 PM
Running interference
As spelled out on the Madison Metropolitan School District’s website, its communications department is supposed to serve “students, parents, the community and the media by delivering clear, timely and accurate information.” Read more
Jul 10, 2023
8:00 AM
Where have the county beat reporters gone?
With the advent of the internet, and the economic damage it has inflicted on journalism, news outlets have shrunk. One of the impacts we have seen locally is the loss of reporters whose sole focus is to cover county government and county issues. Read more
Jun 5, 2023
6:00 AM
Straight talk
ChatGPT has seized our attention because of its ability to interact with us in a seemingly human way, says UW-Madison journalism professor Lucas Graves. 'It doesn’t feel like we’re interacting with a machine,' he says. Read more
May 10, 2023
7:00 AM
‘Democracy’ and ‘disinformation’ reporters are trending in journalism
News outlets are dedicating considerable resources to covering election disinformation, the battles over voting rules, and the erosion of trust about our democracy, Read more
Apr 10, 2023
8:00 AM
