“America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning” brings national and Chicago voices together on July 16 for reflection on journalism’s past, present, and future.
CHICAGO – As the nation marks its Semiquincentennial year — 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence — the Field Foundation is convening journalists, storytellers, funders, and civic leaders from across Chicago, the Midwest, and beyond for an evening of reflection on the state of the free press in America.
“America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning” will take place Thursday, July 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Impact House, 200 W. Madison St., 2nd Floor, Chicago, under the theme “Making of a Nation. Unmaking of a Narrative. Who Gets to Tell the Story?”
The press has long served as a non-partisan check on government and a vital source of the information communities need to fully participate in civic life — a role protected explicitly by the First Amendment. Today, that cornerstone faces real pressure. Across the political spectrum, many Americans share concern about the state of public discourse, trust in institutions, and the health of local and national journalism. Journalists across the country have faced mounting challenges — and the U.S. now ranks 64th among 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index, a drop of seven places from the 2025 index.
Field Foundation President Daniel O. Ash described the “America @ 250” convening as an opportunity to take stock of the nation’s origin story, where progress has stalled against the promises of the Declaration, and where the truths declared “self-evident” nearly 250 years ago have yet to be fully realized.
“Let’s use this anniversary as a moment to begin the process of rebuilding civic trust, trust in our institutions, and, importantly, trust in journalism—an essential measure of the distance between what we declared and what we have delivered.”
– Daniel O. Ash, President, Field Foundation
The event’s keynote speakers feature two journalists whose reporting has placed them at the center of national discussions about press freedom and press censorship.
- Karen Attiah, former Columnist and Founding Global Opinion Editor at the Washington Post; and founder of independent platform “The Golden Hour.”
- Georgia Fort, Founder of BLCK Press and the Center for Broadcast Journalism in St. Paul, Minnesota.
They will be joined by a speaker lineup of Chicago’s most respected and influential journalists for an evening of candid, community-grounded conversation— amplifying voices from every corner of the region’s news ecosystem.
Journalism, as both chronicler and check on power, is central to a healthy democracy, said Field Foundation Director of Journalism & Storytelling Maudlyne Ihejirika.
“Every community deserves access to accurate, fair, and trustworthy local news. My hope is that everyone invited to ‘America @ 250’ will leave fortified and inspired in their work to repair chinks in the foundation of our free press.”
– Maudlyne Ihejirika, Director of Journalism & Storytelling, Field Foundation
The Field Foundation invests in fact-based journalism and storytelling that gives voice to all Chicagoans and strengthens communities across the city—focusing on news outlets that center underrepresented communities, specifically on the South and West Sides. Its grantmaking is supported by strategic partnerships with the MacArthur Foundation and Democracy Fund.
The foundation also funds broader efforts to rebuild local news across Chicago and the country, including Press Forward — a groundbreaking initiative mobilizing significant philanthropic investment in local journalism, nationally and in Chicago.