Hello! I'm Darryl.

I’m a journalist, community steward, network builder and civic strategist actively fostering critical connections among people, spaces and ideas. I help people deepen civic life in the places where they live by creating more participatory local news and more collaborative community conversations.

In 2024 I cofounded Commoner Company, a consultancy making civic life more accessible and inspired by bringing mission-driven organizations, philanthropies and communities to the table to make ambitious ideas actionable. When I’m not working with some of the best folks in local news and information, I’m watching my daughter learn to walk. No complaints here, folks.

In 2015 I co-founded City Bureau, a Pulitzer Prize-winning civic media lab based on Chicago's South Side where, as Co-Executive Director of National Impact, I helped build the organization from volunteer passion project to an institution with a multi-million annual budget and more than two dozen employees. I’ve played a lead role in developing impactful programs like City Bureau’s Civic Reporting Fellowship and the Public Newsroom, which have trained hundreds of journalists and brought thousands of people together to share and discuss locally relevant issues.

In 2019, I orchestrated the development of the award-winning documenters.org platform and strategic expansion of the Documenters Network to its first 11 cities—training thousands of people to engage their local government, and paying out more than $1 million directly to local residents in the process. Together, my team and I helped re-invigorate the participatory media landscape and train thousands of people to engage their local government, a credit to the impact of our network. The culmination of these endeavors was celebrated with the $10 million Stronger Democracy Award.

In 2022, I co-authored the “Roadmap for Local News,” a field-led report exploring a new practice emerging from the local news and information crisis, one that holds the possibility of restoring, and even improving, the civic health of our communities. I've traveled the world to engage in meaningful dialogue about the indispensable role of local journalism and bolster diverse civic movement-building initiatives—and I love testing new ideas through writing opportunities and speaking events.

From my experience as a beat reporter for DNAinfo Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times, to my early years as cofounder and director of the Illustrated Press, a comics journalism collective, I’ve made a practice of connecting with a diverse range of people and ideas. Later, my stint as a producer at the Invisible Institute solidified my dedication to pursuing journalism as a public good. My contributions haven't gone unnoticed, and I’m grateful for recognition from fellowships and awards, including an Ashoka Fellowship, the Leaders for a New Chicago award, the Studs Terkel Award, the Sidney Award, and the Alfred P. Weisman Award.

Eager to forge new connections and collaborations, I'm always excited to connect with fellow travelers and world-builders.

Published Writing & Public Speeches

2020

What Journalism Can Learn from Mutual Aid
(Columbia Journalism Review)

Mutual aid efforts suggest a way forward, a new type of newsroom that serves as the nerve center for local information hubs. In this Columbia Journalism Review special report, I outline why journalists should see their work as part of an ecosystem of social services.

Interviewed in