What We’re Building in Northeast Wisconsin
Over the past several months, we have talked with and listened to people across Northeast Wisconsin through surveys, small-group conversations and community listening sessions. We focused on how local news and information can better support people as they navigate daily decisions, understand local systems and make sense of issues that affect their lives. That work helped us better understand where people experience gaps in local information and guided our next step.
We are building a new Northeast Wisconsin newsletter as part of Wisconsin Watch to share local information and resources in one place. The name is still in progress, and we will invite the community to help choose it through a short survey. What is clear is the focus. Community members want reporting that helps them understand how local decisions shape daily life and highlights ways people can learn more, get involved or find support when issues affect their families and neighborhoods.
This newsletter will arrive on a consistent schedule and explain what is happening locally, why it matters and where to go next for more details or ways to take part. It will connect local reporting to lived experience and highlight local efforts alongside the issues being covered.
How do you get information about your local community? We want to know.
Hello, I’m Jessica Adams, Wisconsin Watch’s director of partnerships for northeast Wisconsin. I grew up in Sturgeon Bay and have lived and worked in Brown County for 10 years.
Over the next few months, I’ll be hosting a series of community listening sessions in Brown County and Outagamie County. If you live in or near these counties, I would love for you to take part.
We know that, in general, people across our state feel that there is a lack of transparency in local government and a host of issues that don’t get enough coverage or attention.
Now, we want to hear the specifics – from you, your neighbors and your community organizers – about the problems you face and the key information you need to find solutions.
Complete our online survey
Your answers will help us understand how you access local news and information and what local news can do to better meet your needs.
Be a community listening ambassador
We are recruiting community listening ambassadors to help us hear from residents across the region. Ambassadors reach out to friends, neighbors and other people in their communities to conduct brief interviews. This is a paid opportunity. The time commitment is five hours per week or less for six to eight weeks.
Take part in a community listening session
A listening session is an informal small-group discussion in which we hear your thoughts, opinions and concerns about the information you need about your local community, how you access it and what you want to see from local news. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions we’ll discuss:
- How well does local news serve you and your community?
- What news sources do you trust, and why?
- What do you wish journalists understood about your life?
Listening sessions are free, but advance registration is required. Light refreshments will be served. Information on upcoming sessions is below.
Upcoming listening sessions
- Date and time TBC at the Brown County Central Library, Meeting Room 1.
515 Pine St, Green Bay, WI 54301
- Date and time TBC at the Kress Library De Pere, in the Emil & Gail Fischer Room A.
333 N Broadway, De Pere, WI 54115
We will schedule more sessions throughout June 2025. If you would like to take part in listening sessions, please fill out the form here.
Have questions about this project?
Jessica Adams, Wisconsin Watch’s director of partnerships for northeast Wisconsin, is happy to answer questions about community listening sessions. You can reach her by email at jadams@wisconsinwatch.org or by phone at (920) 493-7857.
More about Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news outlet with a mission to increase the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Our work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
Founded in 2009, we are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization operated by a professional staff under the guidance of a nationally noted board of directors. We currently have reporters based in Madison and Milwaukee and have other members of our robust editorial and business teams located across the state.
We collaborate and share our content with mainstream and niche media across Wisconsin and the nation. In northeast Wisconsin, we are part of the NEW News Lab collaboration, along with FoxValley365, The Post-Crescent, Green Bay Press-Gazette, The Press Times, and Wisconsin Public Radio.
We believe that there is more we can do for northeast Wisconsin, and that is why we are holding these listening sessions. We hope you take part.