The future of community journalism with Maritza Félix

"Something that I learned during the pandemic: I remembered why I started in this journalism career to begin with, and it was to serve and to listen." – Maritza Félix, Founder of Conecta Arizona

Serving and listening started with a WhatsApp group for Maritza Félix, an independent journalist in Arizona. The group kept growing until it reached the size limit.

“I knew that there was a need for information. But I also knew that the traditional media outlets weren’t providing all of the information that the community needed because they are obviously understaffed and underpaid," Félix said. "They were working remotely without an understanding of how to work like that.”

She saw the need for stories and information during the pandemic in Spanish, so she launched Conecta Arizona as a journalism experiment, bringing on experts and answering questions. Félix thought it would last for only a few weeks, but word spread quickly. Her experiment has turned into a committed team of journalists and other community members.

The journalism world is taking note. She is a JSK Stanford, IWMF, and Listening Post Collective Fellow and part of Take The Lead’s 50 Women Who Can Change the World of Journalism 2020 cohort.