This journalist is joining our team to support local workflows for our Chicago Documenters

By Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel

Portrait taken by Grace Del Vecchio

We are excited to welcome Madeleine to the team as City Bureau’s new Assignment Coordinator for our Chicago Documenters. Madeleine first studied journalism and sociology, then gained experience in media and even explored public health before returning to journalism. As a seasoned Chicago Documenter herself, she discovered that the program rekindled her passion for reporting. She’s found joy in offering valuable insights into Chicago politics and civic processes, and especially values the program's focus on media literacy, fact-checking, and making local government more accessible. For Madeleine, journalism is both a tool for social justice and a way to tell stories that inspire change. 

We asked Madeleine to share a little bit about her experiences, her journey back to journalism, and what she’s bringing to her new role. Here are some highlights from our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

What is your connection to place and where you call home?  

I moved around a lot as a kid. I was born in Rhode Island and spent some time in Chicago, Baltimore and then the Pittsburgh area before attending college in upstate New York. I moved to Chicago five years ago and completed graduate school at the University of Illinois Chicago. Now I live in Ravenswood with my partner. Growing up, it was hard to find a sense of rootedness because I was constantly packing up and leaving. These moves were always out of my control, and I tried to protect myself from loss by not getting too attached to places or communities. That changed when I chose to move to Chicago — it was the first time I decided where I wanted to live entirely on my own terms. Since then, I’ve allowed myself to build connections and really put down roots in the neighborhoods and communities I live and work in, and because of that, I feel like I’ve finally found a home in Chicago. 

Your journalism training is steeped in data investigations. How did this experience shape why you do this work? 

As an undergrad, I completed a project where I was investigating issues in nursing home care in New York State. I was looking at quality metrics and the association between the ownership structure of a nursing home and the staffing and care for the residents. It was very abstract at first. But then I connected with some families who were generous enough to share their stories about how they were treated at a particular nursing home. It was extremely sad stuff. One person in particular was very passionate about holding this nursing home accountable. She alerted the community to the poor treatment so they wouldn’t entrust their loved ones to this place. I spent a lot of time with her and learned about her sister, who unfortunately passed away after living at the nursing home. I felt really honored to be a recipient of those stories and to be trusted to share them with others. It was a moment where I learned to appreciate  data as a tool to connect individual stories to larger patterns, and I saw journalism as a medium where people can feel heard.

You stepped away from journalism to pursue public health but later returned. Tell us about your roots as a Chicago Documenter and its impact on your career.

In 2023, I signed up for Chicago Documenters as a side gig that could help me use my journalism skills. I started taking assignments in 2024, at a time when I was unemployed after grad school and looking for a full-time job. The work gave me some financial stability and rebuilt my confidence after a string of super disappointing job rejections. As I got more involved, it also became a great something that was very educational experience. I learned so much about how Chicago politics and civic processes work while reconnecting with my journalism skills and news-gathering.

I have a huge fondness for the program. There's a lot of value in the way that it teaches different skills, like media literacy and understanding local government, and even technical writing. I also loved the fact-checking role that City Bureau developed. I thought that was a cool way to incorporate more people, and it also taught me a lot about where to look for information on different aspects of Chicago government. 

What drew you to City Bureau?

What drew me to journalism in the first place was how storytelling and narrative can be tools for change and connection. City Bureau stood out to me because of how it welcomes everyone into journalism and empowers people like me and all my fellow documenters to be more engaged in the political or news-gathering process.. When I saw the Assignment Coordinator position, I was thrilled. It felt like the right opportunity to give back to a program that has meant so much to me.. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the Documenters program in this new capacity, and I can’t wait to see how it evolves over time to become even more inclusive, accessible and engaging. 

To connect with Madeleine, feel free to reach out at madeleine@citybureau.org