DePaul students learned the meaning behind environmental news during the first public newsroom of the quarter as Monica Eng explains her tactics to identifying and finding solutions to issues that have an negative effect on communities.
The DePaul Society of Professional Journalist and 14 East Magazine are the orchestrators of this public newsroom which takes place every month. Eng starts off the event by giving the audience a brief look into how she got started in the field of journalism. Some may say, including Eng, that her start in journalism happened accidentally. While in high school she was approached by her mothers boyfriend and asked if she wanted to do an internship at CNN. It just so happened that her mother’s boyfriend happened to be famous American film critic, Roger Ebert.
Monica’s first reference of the evening was her article on Lead Service Lines (LSL) in Chicago. “Authorities warn that no level of ingested lead is safe, as it can contribute to heart attacks, hypertension and kidney problems in adults. In kids, it has been proven to cause impulsivity, violent and learning difficulties.” She warns in her article. When this issue first became apparent to her, she decided to interview Mayor Lori Lightfoot who was a candidate in the mayoral race at the time. Although Mayor Lightfoot did verbally recognize the issue and agreed that solutions must be put into place, her physical actions after being elected have yet to match her verbal acknowledgement. Following up is also an important habit to get into Monica explained when dealing with environmental news. Proper solutions to environmental issue can span over a long period of time. “When a candidate is running for office and you are going to interview them, always be sure to get everything on the record. Rather it be a video or audio, be sure to get everything on the record” she stated.
Her next story consisted of her research on the success of the plan to make Chicago a much greener city proposed by former Mayor Richard M. Daley back in 2008. This particular article included five aspects in Chicago related to climate change; building, renewable energy, transportation, waste reduction and adaption. “How many of your know there is a state law that says residents are supposed to put leaves and yard clippings in a separate bag from the trash and recycling so the city can properly dispose of them?” Eng asked as she looked out into the crowd. The room went completely quiet as everyone looked around to see who was aware of this important information. Eng was not surprised to see about two people raise their hand as a response to her question. At that moment it became apparent former Mayor Daley’s plan to make Chicago “the greenest city in America” is still only a plan.
Kinise Jordan 