Lorraine Swanson Is Back With New Online News Site

May 14, 2009 - Not that Lorraine Swanson ever really went away, mind you. She's been hard at work, prepping her next big move. The former editor and primary writer of the News-Star newspaper in Chicago has been busy regrouping and readying a full frontal assault.
UPDATE, Feb. 24, 2011: 'Lake Effect News' Blog Officially Dead
She left the News-Star when the Chicago Journal sold it in March. Since then, News-Star has been a shadow of its former self, and Swanson has regularly been barraged with the same statement by her fans: "We miss you, Lorraine!" Those fans won't miss her for long. Between now and May 22, Swanson will debut her new online news site, called "Lake Effect News."

VETERAN CHICAGO REPORTER STARTS ONLINE NEWS SITE

CHICAGO, IL

MAY 15, 2009 - Lorraine Swanson, 16-year veteran reporter and former editor of the Chicago Journal’s News-Star, will debut her own online news site next week. Called “Lake Effect News” (LEN), it will cover news and events in Chicago’s North lakefront communities.

Lake Effect News will be up and running before May 22, 2009.

Lake Effect News (www.lakeeffectnews.com) will be a daily online news site. It will be updated throughout the day, offering up a daily dish of politics, crime reports, development updates, school information, entertainment tips and more, all with a hyper-local focus.

Lake Effect News will focus on Rogers Park, West Ridge, Edgewater, Andersonville, Uptown, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Center, Lake View, Albany Park and other neighborhoods. LEN will combine traditional journalistic values with multi-media news presentation. Swanson has long made community journalism a personal commitment. She has covered Chicago’s North Side from Howard Street to Roosevelt Road for Lerner Newspapers, Pioneer Press and, most recently, Chicago Journal.

Swanson resides in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

“We’ll focus on those neighborhoods, but if something else is happening in the Chicago region that affects our readers we will certainly write about it, ” Swanson said. “For that matter, if something happens anywhere in the world that impacts our neighborhoods, it’s on our radar.”

“Now more than ever our lakefront communities need an independent neighborhood news outlet,” Swanson said, “We haven’t asked for a grant and don’t want one. We won’t pander to readers and have no hidden agenda. In fact, we love to expose hidden agendas.”

“Much of what transpires in the Chicago City Council is hammered out in neighborhood church halls, school gyms and community meeting rooms,” Swanson said. “The traditional neighborhood print newspaper has always served the role of watchdog. We want to continue that role online, with our strong personal commitment to and interest in neighborhood-level news.  Unlike a traditional newspaper, we’re more environment-friendly and none of our issues will ever end up in a puddle on your front yard.”