NEIU Independent

OUR SMB DID WHAT?!!!! 😲💥💨🙌

On April 16, 2026, Representatives from NEIU’s Student Media Board showed their support for the University Professionals of Illinois during a Teach-Out protest advocating for fair pay, job security, and increased funding for public higher education. At the event, more than 100 NEIU students, faculty, and community members signed up to lobby state legislators for increased higher education funding, as years of declining state support have forced many Illinois public universities to raise tuition. During the visit, NEIU students also met with State Senator Ram Villivalam, who represents their district. ⚖️💼

Follow us on our Linkedin: "The Independent NEIU" for a longer post coming soon....👀
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-independent-neiu

Photo, video, and participation credits to Jiaming Lou , our Special Features Editor for The Independent.

Additional photo and participation credits to Ryland (Production Manager of SMB), Leslie .lozada.988 (EIC for The Independent), Jasmine (Managing Editor for The Independent), Dan .s.maurer (Staff Writer for The Independent), Simona (Social Media Manager for The Independent), and Israel (EIC for La Mosca).

Hey all, check out the SGA candidates on the Indy site!

The Independent, as a student newspaper entity, does not promote one candidate over another, in the interest of fairness for all involved. The SGA elections started on Saturday, April 11 and closes on Friday, April 17. To vote, please visit the website NEIU Campus Labs in order to cast your vote. Sign in with your NEIUPORT username (same as your Nmail username) and password, in order to access the ballot.



Voting ends Friday April 17th, 4pm.

The polls, or rather, the students, have spoken! The winning journalistic film is Shattered Glass, directed by Billy Ray (94-minute runtime).

Join us for a screening on Tuesday, April 14th, from 5-8 PM in SU 003, also known as “The Fishbowl,” the glass conference room located in the lunchroom. This film is the perfect way to close our Independent pause! Popcorn and pizza will be provided, so bring yourself and your friends.

Synopsis of film:
Shattered Glass tells the true story of Stephen Glass, a rising young journalist at The New Republic whose career begins to unravel after it is discovered that he fabricated many of his articles. As suspicion grows and fellow journalists begin to investigate, the film explores themes of ethics, deception, ambition, and accountability in journalism, offering a compelling look at the consequences of betraying the truth.

There are definitely educational lessons and themes that the Independent wants students to take away and apply if they pursue journalism. This movie serves as an introduction to journalism by showcasing the consequences of unethical practices and the broader impact they can have on credibility, trust, and the profession as a whole.

The Independent is currently on pause until April 14 as our team focuses on rebuilding, training new members, restructuring, and finalizing key documents to better serve our community. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming very soon. Stay tuned!

During this Spring Break, NEIU students, including members of the Student Media Board (The Independent), went on Alternative Spring Break Trips (ASB) to either Oklahoma, Tennessee, or Arizona. The mission was to serve the community, whether it involved cultural immersion, civil rights, or immigration.

Dan, former News Editor & current Staff Writer for The Independent, & MaKynna, the Treasurer for the Student Media Board, went to Arizona near the U.S.–Mexico border. The trip involved learning about immigration & border control, crossing into Mexico, witnessing the conditions many undocumented immigrants face, & observing the courthouse setting where families await their verdicts.

Simona, the Social Media Manager for The Independent, traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to learn about the Civil Rights Movement and participate in service work. Along with her group, she visited the Civil Rights Museum, where Martin Luther King Jr. was famously assassinated. The trip also included volunteering at food pantries and homeless shelters, as well as gardening and planting in the community.

Dennis, the Student Media Coordinator/ Advisor, went to Oklahoma to connect with the Cherokee Nation & the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. This involved speaking with local community members, volunteering, & becoming culturally immersed in their history and traditions. He also visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Chief Egunwale Amusan spoke about the Tulsa Race Massacre, during which the once-thriving “Black Wall Street” in the Greenwood neighborhood was destroyed by white mobs, with planes reportedly dropping incendiary devices, leaving generational economic & social impacts.

These trips that NEIU provides teach us valuable lessons about the power of humanity, history, & the forgotten injustices that need to be remembered, so history does not repeat itself or, when it does, we as the next generation can recognize these patterns and call out the injustices. They make us better leaders and advocates, especially since the theme of the Student Media Board is community & advocacy. These trips reflected our mission and purpose.

What journalistic movie should "The Independent" showcase? Help us decide by voting in the polls below. Polls close in a week!

Shattered Glass (2003, dir. Billy Ray, 94 min) A rising reporter builds his career on deception until other journalists expose the truth, showing the consequences of losing integrity.

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005, dir. George Clooney, 93 min) A newsroom stands up to political power, highlighting the importance of ethical journalism and speaking truth despite pressure.

Broadcast News (1987, dir. James L. Brooks, 133 min) Journalists struggle with ambition and ethics as entertainment begins to shape the news and challenge the role of truth.

His Girl Friday (1940, dir. Howard Hawks, 92 min) Reporters chase a major story, showing the power of journalism and the risks of crossing ethical lines.

Looking for a stipend position between your classes?
The INDEPENDENT is hiring! 🗞️

Positions:

Online Editor📶

-Create and/or maintain The INDEPENDENT’s website.
-Collaborate with the INDEPENDENT’s project management tool and if needed with EIC and ME.
-Uploads content to any of the INDEPENDENT’s website.
-Report troubleshoot website problems to the Web Developer.
-Inform new content posted on websites to Social Media Manager.
-Routinely reviews the website for content and out of date links, etc.
-Posts and monitors comments to the INDEPENDENT’s website in a professional manner.
-Monitor website traffic (Track analytics) to report to the Web Developer.
-Share new developments in digital media.

Writer(s) – Recruited by each media outlet as needed, managed by each section editor ✍🏻

-Write articles and stories for any media outlet as assigned.
-Accept critique on their writing.
-To be free from administrative censorship.
-Accepts assignments from section editors.
-Accepts the final edits by section editors or retains the right to remove one’s piece for submission.
-Add list of sources to each 1st draft for editor review
Know FOIA, Sunshine & Open Meeting laws, print these laws on ID badges
-Streamline editing Minimize reporter narrative

Policy : Cannot/Do not send questions prior to interview
Policy: Think like a professional, i.e : dress for the room
Writers interview, edit, and work with section editors to produce community stories.

Must be an NEIU enrolled student to receive compensation through earned income funding for The INDEPENDENT.

Are you interested in working with The INDEPENDENT? DM us!

Come join us in the student lounge for a night to meet our creatives!

Oh yeah, there's also free food! 🍕

❄️⛔ REMOTE CLASSES FRIDAY 1/22 ⛔❄️

Beni Ortiz, Vice President for Finance and Administration, sent a targeted announcement on Wednesday, regarding possible closure of the campus, that the closure could persist until Saturday, January 24.

In a targeted announcement Thursday afternoon, NEIU President Katrina Bell-Jordan announced that the majority of the campus will be remote for Friday, with a pending update regarding Saturday. N-Safe, NEIU’s emergency notification, also shared the information via text and email, with status as critical.

📸 Ryland Roberts (He/They), Production Manager

Speaker: South Side Weekly 's
Jocelyn Martínez-Rosales

Wednesday November 19th
5:00pm
Wreck Room E-050A,
by WZRD, campus radio station

This workshop will focus on the basics of news writing and editing. Jocelyn has written for the Chicago Reader, La Voz, and is currently serving as a Senior Editor for South Side Weekly.
She is also a former Fact-Checker for Truth Out, a non-profit newsroom focused on political and social justice issues.
We will have catering from San Juanito, a Mexican restaurant in Albany Park.