El Tímpano

El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of the Bay Area's Latino and Maya Mam immigrants. Through innovative approaches to local journalism and civic engagement, El Tímpano surfaces community members’ stories and questions on local and national issues, provides news and information relevant to their needs, and investigates the concerns they bring to our attention. Innovative use of text messaging (SMS) is El Tímpano’s key approach to facilitate participatory local journalism. We recognized that many Latino immigrants often lack access to a computer or home internet and designed a novel way to reach them. Through SMS, subscribers receive timely, actionable, and relevant news and information, and are invited to respond with their questions, concerns, or stories on the issue at hand. Immigrants are not only El Tímpano’s core audience. They also make up the foundation of our in-depth journalism. By reporting in collaboration with Latino and Mayan immigrants, El Tímpano has produced impactful journalism about communities that are often at the center of pressing issues but nearly invisible in media coverage and civic conversations. We’ve partnered with media outlets including KQED, Latino USA, El Tecolote, The Oaklandside, and The World to reach wider audiences. Local reporters, public health leaders, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s office say our coverage has illuminated to them the toll of COVID-19 on Latino and Mayan immigrants. Through these approaches, as well as in-person outreach and creative collaborations, El Tímpano fosters civic engagement and more inclusive local media.