ALISON K MILLER
Northwestern News Network
Since my first year at Northwestern, I have been a reporter for Northwestern News Network, the University's only student broadcast news organization that produces a live 30-minute newscast every week. I have taken on the Assignment Editor role and now work daily to uncover over ten stories to pitch to my fellow student reporters at weekly assignment meetings. I also serve as an Assistant Producer, writing and editing visually engaging heads, editing rundowns, and ensuring reporters have completed necessary tasks.
Broadcast Journalism
Evanston Grapples with Grocery Tax
This is the twenty-fourth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. With the statewide Grocery tax set to expire by the end of this year, Evanston's City Council must decide whether to impose the tax at the local level or lose $2.5 million annually. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on May 13, 2025.
Department of Education Investigates Local School District
This is a social media explainer I completed for Northwestern News Network. Evanston's District 65 is under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged racial discrimination following a complaint over DEI policies filed by a teacher. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network Instagram on May 6, 2025.
New City Council Sworn In
This is the twenty-third package I completed for Northwestern News Network. The three new members of Evanston's fifty-first City Council share their hopes, worries, and goals for the term ahead. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 29, 2025.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Demonstrators Protest at Northwestern
This is the twenty-second package I completed for Northwestern News Network. TFP Student Action, a volunteer group, visited Northwestern as part of a trip across college campuses in the Midwest, prompting some anger and frustration from the campus community. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 29, 2025.
Stewart Wins Chief of the Year Award
This is the twenty-first package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Schenita Stewart, the first woman to receive the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police's Chief of the Year Award, reflects on her service to Evanston for almost three years. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 22, 2025.
Immigration and Evanston
This is the twentieth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Amid the Trump Administration's crackdown on immigration, Latino Immigrants in Evanston find community and support in the city they now call home. This story aired on the NNN special Morning Show on March 11, 2025.
Council Members Reflect on Serving Evanston
This is the nineteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Two of Evanston's City Council members are choosing not to run for re-election. They take a look back on the impact they've made over their many terms. This story aired on the Politicat special Evanston Elections Show on March 4, 2025.
Northwestern Reacts to the NCAA Ban on Transgender Athletes
This is the eighteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Changes under the Trump administration are trickling down onto campus in several ways, and an executive order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports is just the latest one causing frustration and fear at Northwestern. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on February 25, 2025.
Evanston Fire Department Trump Masks Scandal
This is the seventeenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. After a photo of 4 Evanston Fire Department members wearing Trump masks in uniform goes viral, the city and its team of first responders are plunged into an investigation over the contractual meaning of "political activity." This story aired on Politicat, NNN's politics newscast, on February 4, 2025.
Seeking New Dog Beach ADA Proposals
This is the sixteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. In another turn in Evanston's fight for ADA accessibility at the Dog Beach, the city council seeks alternate proposals from a new developer. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on February 4, 2025.
NU President's Fireside Chat
This is the fifteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Northwestern University President Michael Schill addresses the campus community after a tumultuous 2024 and under the pressure of the new Trump administration. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on January 28, 2025.
Parking Ordinance Fights Game-Day Congestion
This is the fourteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. With increased traffic during basketball games, residents around Welsh-Ryan Arena have campaigned to make changes, implementing a brand-new parking ordinance with a $125 fine. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on January 21, 2024.
Prairie Moon Jazz Jam Session
This is the thirteenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Chase Wilkins is a Northwestern Sophomore and a jazz musician. Evanston's Prairie Moon restaurant is a space for local artists like Wilkins to get their groove on. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on January 14, 2024.
Evanston's Holiday Economy
This is the twelfth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Local shops and small businesses stand to benefit from seasonal increases in spending, and in Evanston, holiday markets provide a method to make those profits. This story aired on the Northwestern News Network on December 3, 2024.
Student Voters Influenced by Conflict in the Middle East
This is the eleventh package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Several students at Northwestern said they based their voting decisions on the U.S.'s involvement in expanding conflict in the Middle East. I spoke with them to better understand their perspectives.
Professor Daniel Galvin Discusses the Stakes of the 2024 Presidential Election
This is the tenth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Professor Daniel Galvin teaches a course on the American Presidency and shares his thoughts about the 2024 presidential election.
Middles Used Books Set to Open Downtown
This is the ninth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Owner of Bookends and Beginnings Nina Barrett is turning a new page, opening Middles Used Books in a story of retail resilience.
Evanston City Council Consider Harley Clarke Mansion Proposals
This is the eighth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Evanston's City Council faces a new slate of proposals for the repurposing of the Harley Clarke Mansion, and residents consider the benefits of public and private use. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on October 8, 2024.
Meals on Wheels Latin Menu
This is the seventh package I completed for Northwestern News Network. Evanston's Meals on Wheels is spicing things up with its first-ever all-Latin menu, bringing flavors from the homes of father-son duo Jesus Morales and Jesus Zapata to those of the older adults and community members who rely on the service. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on May 14, 2024.
Northwestern University Pro-Palestinian Encampment Draws Outside Support
This is the sixth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. After a wave of pro-Palestinian encampments spread across college campuses in the spring of 2024, students at Northwestern University gathered in one of their own. Although the encampment was constructed by those who learn and work at the university, it attracted support from individuals across the Chicago area and the continent. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 30, 2024.
Students for Justice in Palestine Rally at Northwestern University
This is the fifth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. This combined rally between the Northwestern University chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, Students Organizing for Labor Rights, and other groups aimed to reach admitted students with a united message just before pro-Palestinian campus encampments began popping up across the country, including here at Northwestern. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 16, 2024.
Arboretum Egg Hunt
This is the fourth package I completed for Northwestern News Network. The Easter... Wood Duck? This environmentally-conscious spin on the holiday supports the earth while still bringing Evanston's children the joy of the egg hunt. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on April 2, 2024.
Maple Syrup & Solar Panels
This is the third package I completed for Northwestern News Network. You might not expect climate change research, maple syrup, and solar panels to all fit together. Through a partnership between the Urban Integrated Field Laboratory CROCUS (Community Research on Climate and Urban Science) and Northwestern University, students can make change and a sweet treat at the same time. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on February 20, 2024.
Evanston's Lunar New Year Celebration
This is the second package I completed for Northwestern News Network. The 2024 Lunar New Year celebration in Evanston brought together communities and cultures in festivity and celebration of the Year of the Dragon. This story aired on the Northwestern News Report on February 13, 2024.
NU Students Support Shelter
The first package I created for Northwestern News Network. Evanston Animal Shelter attracts volunteers from all backgrounds, including some Northwestern students. This piece aired on the Northwestern News Report on January 23, 2024.