When we began planning our November-December issue, we knew we wanted to do a feature on the Little Palestine community in southern Brooklyn. Our choice to write the story was Lara-Nour Walton, an Egyptian-American college student and writer who spent part of her childhood in Cairo and speaks Arabic. While navigating a full class load and participating in her campus’s pro-Palestinian protests, Lara-Nour steadily worked on the piece that became our cover story which you can see here. Reflecting on her experience of being mentored at The Indypendent, Lara-Nour writes,
“The Indy has also been central in my development as a reporter. Since day one, I have been treated as a capable journalist — not a newbie in the field who must be assigned mundane stories until she proves herself.”
The Indy Is an Invaluable Resource for Early-Career Journalists Like Myself
By Lara-Nour Walton
Yes, I want to support The Indy and its mentoring of the next generation of radical journalists!
For more than 20 years, The Indy has provided a space for talented young grassroots journalists to receive mentoring and support as they spread their wings and go on to do great work elsewhere. 2023 was no different.
In addition to Lara-Nour, our spring intern Katie Pruden wrote our May cover story about the Mayor’s efforts to impose devastating budget cuts on NYC’s beloved public library system and the fightback it had inspired.
Our summer intern Lydia Wei wrote our September cover story on the musicians who perform in NYC’s subway stations. She also wrote in-depth feature pieces on New York’s canning community and on community-based alternatives to policing.
Fellow summer interns Elsie Carson-Holt and Owen Schact also did stellar work covering everything from NYCHA tenants fighting to defend their homes from predatory real estate developers to the joys of Dyke March to the city’s faltering bus service.
Meanwhile, Moses Jeanfrancois, Keating Zelenke, Dylan Rice and Lane Dibler helped bolster our already strong labor coverage.
Libraries in Peril
By Katie Pruden
Underground Music: Subway Buskers Talk About Their Art, Performing in Public and Making Enough $$ to Survive
By Lydia Wei
Alternatives to Policing: These Unarmed Groups Stop Violence Before It Starts
By Lydia Wei
Hard-Working Canners Talk About Their Haul and What Keeps Them Going
By Lydia Wei
NYCHA Residents in Chelsea Resist Demolition Plan That Could Displace Them
By Elsie Carson-Holt
Faces of the Dyke March
By Elsie Carson-Holt
Where’s The Bus: The Mayor Is Failing Transit Targets and New York Riders
By Owen Schacht
Checkmate: Board Game Cafe Workers at Hex Flex and Win Union Recognition Vote
By Moses Jeanfrancois
Coming Full Circle: Retired Labor Organizes Advise a New Generation of Unionizing Workers
By Keating Zelenke
So Close… Trader Joe’s Union Bid Defeated in 76-76 Vote
By Dylan Rice
Pro-Palestine Protesters Rally Outside AFL-CIO Office in Midtown to Urge Break with Israel
By Lane Dibler
To hear more from interns and volunteers about their Indy experiences, click here.
We are almost halfway to our winter fund drive goal of raising $50,000. When you donate, you not only make it possible for us to cover stories that would otherwise never be told, you also make it easier for us to dedicate staff time to our teaching mission. Please give today, whether it's a generous one-time donation or by signing up to become a monthly sustainer.
Winter Internships
We are taking applications for our winter internship program through February 1. You must be a college student or recent graduate. Previous journalism experience is preferred but not required. BIPOC, female-identifying and LGBTQ+ people are encouraged to apply. Email contact@indypendent.org.