About
El Tímpano works in collaboration with residents and community partners to create empowering, two-way channels of information that inform and engage the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrants.
El Tímpano’s methods of civic engagement include a community microphone that travels the streets, libraries, churches, and laundromats of East Oakland to gather residents’ stories on pressing issues, and an SMS-based reporting platform to provide timely information and facilitate conversation. Through these and other innovative, community-driven approaches that leverage the tools, experiences, and assets of the region’s Latino and Mayan immigrants, El Tímpano seeks to foster civic engagement and political empowerment while building more inclusive local media.
Community-Driven Design
El Tímpano launched in 2018 after a nine-month deep listening process. We spoke with two-dozen community leaders and 300 residents to hear what they want to see in local, Spanish-language media. Our resulting report, “Más Información: Information Needs of Latino Immigrants in Oakland, California,” identifies existing channels of news and information, and shares ideas—many from residents we talked to—of ways to fill gaps in local news. El Tímpano’s editorial priorities and distribution strategies are shaped by what we heard, and by ongoing conversations with our community.
Values
We believe that no one is better equipped to report on a community than members of the community themselves.
We believe that journalism should make an impact, that it should empower people to be active in their communities and make informed decisions for the health and safety of their families.
We subscribe to James Carey’s view of the journalistic imperative, summarized by Jay Rosen:
