• Neighborhood Reporters

  • Artist's Voices - Svetlana Stone

  • Graduating from college coming through the foster care system - Lyric Mention

  • Supporters of statewide petition organize Reproductive Rights for all Rally - Chris Glasser

  • Local artist hosts show at Schultz's Treat Street: talks artistic style, autism and Mr. Rogers - Janet Hay

  • Artists of Color Network pursues community healing through art - Tyler Zachary

  • Can work-life balance affect physical and mental health? - Sanaa Littlejohn

Neighborhood Voices Network

If you are interested in reporting, and want to use your voice to provide representation for your community, then the Neighborhood Voices Network might be for you.

 

The Neighborhood Voices Network teaches community members to find story ideas, conduct interviews and produce video news packages that tells the stories of their community. Neighborhood Reporters are providing the training, distribution platform, and tools to start reporting in their community. 

 

The Neighborhood Voices Network showcases media coverage from a wide array of voices. More people, and more perspectives, means that news coverage will be more well-rounded, and lift up more voices in the community. 

 

The Neighborhood Voices Network holds regular training cohorts and programs for people to learn how to tell stories video, starting with an introduction to video journalism.

 

Check out our upcoming workshops and programs on our workshops page.

 

Contact us to learn more: hello@publicmedianet.org

Meet our Neighborhood Reporters

  • Leona Carter

    Black Lens Fellow/Neighborhood Reporter

    Leona Carter empowers women to build intimacy with their husbands through the power of dating again to enhance communication, from the kitchen to the bedroom.

    Leona is an International Empowerment Speaker, 10x, International-Multi-best-selling Author, and a Certified Intimacy and Relationship Coach. As the President and CEO of Carter Strategies, Leona hosts, Hey Coach Carter TV, where she talks to married women who are building their business and their bedroom. Leona has been featured on CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC and more.

    Married since 1995, Leona, and her high school sweetheart, Omarr, have six children and one grandson. Leona and her family moved from Seattle Washington to Kalamazoo Michigan for the tuition-based program called The Kalamazoo Promise, where her family was featured in the New York Times.

    Leona’s energetic personality and vibrancy set her apart from the normalcy of entrepreneurship. She blazes a trail everywhere she goes through her passion for serving. 

  • Mary Reed

    Neighborhood Reporter

    Mary Reed is a Neighborhood Reporter that recently returned to the Kalamazoo area. She has a show called "Level UP." 

  • Svetlana Stone

    Neighborhood Reporter

    Svetlana is a Latvian musician and singer/songwriter, along with being a reporter with the Neighborhood Voices Network. She recently began producing a new show with PMN called “Artist’s Voices."

  • Sanaa Littlejohn

    Neighborhood Reporter

    Sanaa Littlejohn is a Neighborhood Reporter with Public Media Network. She is a budding writer that loves the discussion of good vs evil. 

  • Janet Hay

    Neighborhood/Civic Reporter

    Janet Hay is a Neighborhood and Civic Reporter with a background in Biology. She participated in the very first training cohort of the Neighborhood Voices Network, and Civic Reporter Network.

  • Chris Glasser

    Neighborhood Reporter

    I believe communities get stronger when they embrace the good and work together to solve the bad. Part of that is good journalism, that provides the facts and tells people’s stories. That is what I hope to do with my journalism.

  • Tyler Zachary

    Neighborhood Reporter

    Tyler Zachary is a Neighborhood Reporter and former intern with Public Media Network. He is a WMU graduate in Film and Media Studies.

  • Lyric Mention

    Neighborhood Reporter

    Lyric Mention is a Neighborhood Reporter who joined the program in fall 2021. She is passionate about covering issues related to foster youth. 

  • Julia Buck

    Civic & Neighborhood Reporter

    Julia Buck is a Civic Reporter and Neighborhood Reporter with Public Media Network. She is interested in environmental reporting. 

  • John A Oliver

    Neighborhood Reporter

    John A Oliver is a Nerighborhood Reporter at Public Media Network. He is a research analyst at the Kalamazoo Promise, and host the show "Deep Dive w/ Dr. John."