Billy Penn and WHYY News is hosting a “pop-up” newsroom where you can meet reporters, talk about stories and community concerns, and ask questions!
On Monday, July 14, reporters with WHYY’s Billy Penn and PlanPhilly, as well as WHYY City Hall reporter Tom MacDonald, will come to the Philadelphia City Council Caucus Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pop-up newsrooms give residents a chance to learn about the newsgathering process and pitch story ideas that could be seen and heard across WHYY’s various platforms. These off-site events are an opportunity for newsroom staff to speak directly with community members and grow relationships with the people we serve.
Among the Billy Penn staff who will attend throughout the day:
Julia Binswanger is Billy Penn’s food and culture reporter and a Philly native whose work has been published by WBEZ, Chicago Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine and LWC Studios. She has also worked with Talkhouse Media and the Sonos Radio Hour, and is a former Fulbright Fellow and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism grad.
Violet Comber-Wilen is a general assignment reporter with Billy Penn who has several years of experience in public radio and journalism, serving communities through Indiana Public Broadcasting, Tampa Bay’s NPR station, WUSF, and the North Central Florida NPR station, WUFT News.
Heather J. Chin is Billy Penn’s deputy editor. She previously was a digital producer at the Philadelphia Inquirer and an editor at local outlets in Brooklyn and national news sites including Flipboard. She has also done a lot of freelance reporting, and is on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association’s Philly chapter and Freelance group.
Kevin Donahue is a veteran journalist who previously worked in managing and editor roles at Men’s Health and Rodale, the Philadelphia Business Journal, Philly.com and the Philadelphia Daily News. He is Billy Penn’s editor and WHYY Senior Director of News Specialty Products, overseeing The Pulse and PlanPhilly teams.
Nick Kariuki is Billy Penn’s trending news reporter. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Medill’s MSJ program at Northwestern University, Nick was previously a sportswriter for outlets including VICE Sports, American Soccer Now and The Star newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also worked as a multimedia editor for ESPN FC and ESPNCricinfo. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Nick can most likely be found watching, playing or discussing soccer.
Meir Rinde is an investigative reporter at Billy Penn covering topics ranging from politics and government to history and pop culture. He’s previously written for PlanPhilly, Shelterforce, NJ Spotlight and other publications, and was a staff writer at the Trenton Times and Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. He lives in Passyunk Square with his family.
From the WHYY newsroom, Tom MacDonald is a veteran journalist who has been reporting on City Hall for 40 years. He’s covered Philadelphia mayors dating back to Bill Green’s administration in the early 1980s.
The caucus room is where City Council holds its pre-meeting talks and decides when legislation will be introduced. It features a two-story atrium with a historic, circular caucus table and artwork of past City Council presidents on display.
To access the room, visitors are asked to enter through City Hall’s northeast entrance, clear security and take the elevator to the fourth floor. The room is on the left in the middle of the hall, across from where City Council holds its weekly meeting.
This will be the latest in a series of WHYY pop-up newsroom events that have been held across the region.
Register for the City Hall pop-up newsroom here.
