Grace is a junior journalism major. She also is the Managing Editor at The Temple News and interns for The Philadelphia Inquirer on its news features desk. She has a passion for reporting and has worked at other publications like WHYY’s PlanPhilly and London-based Alphr.com. Her favorite topics to write about include health, addiction and general human interest stories — she often says everyone has a story to tell, but you just have to ask the right questions to figure it out. And, like every other functioning journalist, she loves coffee.
Bryce is a senior journalism major at Temple University. He has an interest in investigative journalism, and has always had a penchant for telling stories. He found an interest in journalism when he worked on his high school paper, the North Penn Knight Crier. However, he had been writing books since 6th grade. They weren’t always very good, but Bryce kept writing, because he had something to say. His interests in journalism include world events like the Arab Spring, and divisive figures like Edward Snowden. Whether it’s fact or fiction, journalism or creative writing, Bryce is devoted to telling the story.
Current coverage of Fishtown:
With its local paper, The Spirit of the Riverwards, shutting down recently, media coverage in Fishtown is sorely lacking. The Spirit was originally started by people living in the area and was a community organization, tackling local issues that may have gone unnoticed in the greater Philadelphia area. The paper’s website is still live for those that wish to pore through its archives.
The hyperlocal paper The Star is still active in the area, but The Spirit’s closing signals a need for fresh coverage in the neighborhood.
Why this topic needs more coverage:
With The Spirit shutting down and no signs of Fishtown’s status as a cultural hub showing no signs of waning, The Star won’t be able to provide the neighborhood with the coverage it deserves by itself. With how sporadically people move in and out of the neighborhood, and ongoing efforts to refurbish old homes and revitalize the town, housing prices in the area have risen dramatically.
But while efforts to revamp the town for the latest era are making the biggest buzz, the rich history of the town is being swept under the rug. Fishtown has a fingerprint in Philadelphia’s history that shouldn’t be ignored, and Grace and I hope to do the neighborhood justice.
We’re the right people to cover this because…
We’re either from the greater Philadelphia area, or have an insight into what’s going on in Fishtown already. Our prior experiences, both academic and in the field, as well as our vigorous determination to tell the story we are given, is why we’re exceptional reporters for this beat. I’m certain that Grace and I, as people that have already experienced Fishtown first-hand, as well as having a deep passion for telling stories we find worth telling, will give the neighborhood its due diligence.
Potential ideas to explore:
- Local businesses that have been there for many years
- History of Fishtown — for example, Palmer Cemetery
- The disparity between old and new residents and the changing landscape of the neighborhood
Temple University Multimedia Storytelling 
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