Street Sense (newspaper)

Street Sense
Real People, Real Stories, Real Change
Cover of volume 15 issue 1
TypeStreet newspaper
FormatCompact
Founder(s)Ted Henson, Laura Thompson Osuri
PublisherStreet Sense Media
Editor-in-chief
Annemarie Cuccia
Opinion editor
Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Lydia DePillis
Staff writers
15-30 volunteers
FoundedAugust 2003
Political alignment
Nonpartisan
LanguageEnglish
CityWashington, DC
CountryUnited States
ReadershipApprox. 12,000 monthly
Sister newspapers
International Network of Street Papers
Websitestreetsensemedia.org

Street Sense is a weekly street newspaper sold by self-employed homeless distributors on the streets of Washington, D.C. It is published by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Street Sense Media.[1]

Street Sense Media is a member of the International Network of Street Papers[2] and the Institute for Nonprofit News.[3]

Newspaper

The newspaper is a collaborative effort between homeless vendors, freelancers, and staff, focusing on issues of homelessness and poverty. It provides a "no-barrier" work opportunity for homeless individuals, fostering community engagement and social conversation.[4][5][6]

As of 2017, Street Sense Media has over 130 active vendors distributing roughly 10,000 newspapers every two-week cycle.[7]

History

Street Sense was first published in November 2003.

  • In June 2006, a story by one of the paper's vendors and the editor that exposed eviction companies that exploited homeless people for day labor was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and led to a class-action lawsuit.[8]
  • In February 2007, the paper increased publication from once a month to twice a month.[9]
  • In January 2013, the paper increased the suggested donation amount listed on the cover of each edition to $2, and the wholesale cost to vendors, listed on the inside cover, to 50 cents per newspaper. When Street Sense was founded in 2003, the paper was sold to vendors for 25 cents per newspaper and was given to customers for a suggested donation of $1. The cost for vendors rose to 35 cents in 2009 during the Great Recession, with no adjustment of the suggested donation.[10]
  • In May 2017, the organization hired a full-time case manager to help vendors connect with resources such as housing, employment and health care. This complemented a part-time social worker who had been hired several years beforehand.[11]
  • In October 2017, a digital sales application was launched to enable credit card purchases of the paper on mobile devices.[12]
  • In March 2020, Street Sense Media temporarily suspended the printing and person-to-person distribution[13] of Street Sense due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[14] The organization continued to publish a digital edition of Street Sense.[15]
  • In July 2020, printing and person-to-person distribution of the publication resumed.[16]
  • In April 2021, Street Sense became one of five street papers internationally to produce weekly editions.[17]
  • In June 2021, Street Sense became hired its first staff reporter, a collaborative position shared with fellow nonprofit news outlet The DC Line and focused on local accountability stories.[18]

Awards

Year Awarding Body Award Ref
2015 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Mayor's Arts Awards — Humanitarian Highlight [19]
2017 Society of Professional Journalists Best Photojournalism for a weekly newspaper [20]
Best Non-Breaking News for a weekly newspaper [20]
Best Series for a weekly newspaper [20]
2018 Best Photojournalism for a weekly newspaper [21]
International Network of Street Papers Best Breakthrough [22]
2019 Society of Professional Journalists Best Commentary and Criticism for a weekly newspaper [23]
2020 Best Art/Photo Illustration for a weekly newspaper [24]
2021 The Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award [25]
Best Breaking News for a weekly newspaper [26]
Best Series for a weekly newspaper [26]
Best Feature for a weekly newspaper [26]
Best Investigative Reporting for a weekly newspaper [26]
Best Front Page Design for a weekly newspaper [26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Street Sense gives homeless creative tools to build careers and help others". PBS NewsHour. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Our Street Papers". INSP. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  3. ↑ "INN Member Directory Profile". INN. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  4. ↑ "Street Sense PDF Archives". Issuu.com. 2003-11-15. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  5. ↑ Keiper, Caitrin (2014-04-01). "Spring 2014 - Nonprofit Spotlight: Street Sense". Philanthrohpy Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  6. ↑ TEDx Talks (2014-04-16), Encountering others on the streets of DC: Ted Henson at TEDxFoggyBottom, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2018-07-23
  7. ↑ "Become a Vendor". Street Sense Media. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  8. ↑ Phillips, Michael (2006-06-30). "Homeless Reporter Gets Job, and Story, Evicting Others". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  9. ↑ Harley, Chantel (2007-02-08). "For Homeless Staff, A Paper's Big News". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  10. ↑ Gilbert, Sophie (2013-01-03). ""Street Sense" Now Costs $2". Washingtonian. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  11. ↑ Gilchrist, Alison (2015-11-19). "Street Sense social worker celebrated for work empowering homeless vendors". INSP. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  12. ↑ "As People Stop Carrying Cash, The Street Sense Newspaper Pioneers Digital Payments". DCist. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  13. ↑ "Street Sense newspaper was a lifeline for the homeless in D.C. Coronavirus forced it to stop the presses". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  14. ↑ "To Keep Distributors Safe, Street Sense Is Suspending Its Print Publication". DCist. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  15. ↑ Carome, Brian. "From our CEO: Street Sense Media suspends print newspaper publication amid public health pandemic". Street Sense Media. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Street Sense Is Returning To Print On July 1". DCist. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  17. ↑ ""Better for vendors, as well as for customers": Washington DC's Street Sense goes weekly". International Network of Street Papers. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  18. ↑ ""Introducing the 2021-22 Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellows". Poynter. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  19. ↑ "30th Annual Mayor's Arts Awards". D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (14 June 2017). "2017 SPJDC Awards Announcement". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  21. ↑ D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (13 June 2018). "2018 SPJDC Awards Announcement". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  22. ↑ International Network of Street Papers. "INSP Awards: 2018 Winners Announced!". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  23. ↑ D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (12 June 2019). "2019 SPJDC Awards Announcement". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  24. ↑ D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (9 June 2020). "Dateline Awards for work published, broadcast in 2019 announced online in historic first for SPJ DC Chapter". Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  25. ↑ D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (16 June 2021). "Probing account of how police dealt with a mentally ill man takes top honor in annual Dateline Awards contest". Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 D.C. Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (16 June 2021). "Dateline Awards 2021 finalists and winners". Retrieved 30 January 2022.
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