Many immigrant neighborhoods in Los Angeles are news deserts, their triumphs and challenges largely ignored by the media. Boyle Heights is an exception For the last six years, talented youth reporters from five high schools in the community have been reporting the stories that matter for the community. Their motto: “Noticias por y para la comunidad” or “News for and by the community.”
Boyle Heights Beat, a quarterly bilingual print newspaper and sister online site, has become a go-to news source for community residents, civic leaders and policymakers. The prestigiou Columbia Journalism Review recently hailed the joint project of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism and the Hoy L.A. newspaper for its unique brand of community journalism, praising its youth-led community meetings, which give residents a chance to help set the news agenda.
The Beat also opens new horizons for its youth reporters, providing them with unparalleled experience in civic participation, critical thinking and community leadership. In a community where many young people still don’t graduate from high school, Boyle Heights Beat reporters consistently go to college. And many plan to return after they graduate to give back.
The youth news team asks for your financial support to continue this important work in the coming year, when immigrant communities like this one need your support more than ever.
Click here to make a tax-deductible donation by credit card to the USC account for Boyle Heights Beat.
Alternatively, you may send a check made out to University of Southern California with “Boyle Heights Beat” in the memo field. If it is postmarked by December 31, it will be treated as a 2016 contribution. Please send it to:
Office of Development & Alumni Relations
USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
3502 Watt Way, Suite 304
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281
With your help, we look forward to another successful year at Boyle Heights Beat.
