Dear PublicSource reader,

I’m TyLisa, PublicSource’s education reporter. I joined this team nearly four months ago. It was May and everyone was still adjusting to the concept of social distancing. Outside my apartment window, kids played and giggled in masks and neighbors called out to each other and waved from their porches to those who passed. I’m still new to Pittsburgh and learning much about the city and its people. I was surprised that even in a pandemic, a completely unprecedented moment, I could catch glimpses of what makes the Pittsburgh community one of a kind.  

Since I joined PublicSource, I often think of those children, families and passersby, and how their lives will be forever shaped by this moment. Coverage of it deserves both a compassionate and critical reporting eye, which is exactly what PublicSource provides. 

When a local teacher told me in July that her primary concern about the return to school was that she didn’t want to die, the stakes of my new coverage area were made plain. For some, this means life or death. The stakes of making sure these stories are told are high as parents and educators navigate uncertainty, trying to deliver essential knowledge to youth. 

In recent months, our team has found ways to uniquely contribute to historic protest coverage, used innovative channels to tell the stories of marginalized groups and honored milestones with creative multimedia — all while also covering the pandemic and its impact locally.

Please give to PublicSource, so our team can continue to ask the big questions and tell unique, innovative stories. 

Thank you for your support.

TyLisa C. Johnson
Education Reporter
Support our education coverage.
P.S. TyLisa was interviewed by Poynter, a global thought leader in journalism, about covering K-12 education during the pandemic. See what she had to say here.

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