Our Mission

High crime, underperforming schools and a rising jobless rate have combined to make Rockford a city that is stuck in place and falling behind in a global economy.

We are launching a yearlong, Web-first project, “180 degrees: Solutions for a Better Rockford,” that is a campaign to solve entrenched problems in the Rock River Valley. We want to make the region a better place to live, work and raise our children. We see a need for dynamic new partnerships among local governments, non-profits, civic groups and committed residents who will roll up their sleeves to work on these problems.

We have outlined five topic areas that we will look at to show readers where we’ve been over the last three decades and how things are today; what has been recommended in the past that hasn’t worked, and what we can do from here to move things forward. We will examine best practices in other regions our size, to look for solutions that are working elsewhere.

We’ve identified these five topic areas as essential to the lifeblood of our community: Crime, education, the economy, local and county government, and culture and a sense of place.

Because the changes in Rockford have been been gradual for those who have lived here a long time we recognize the need to bring our readers up to speed on how things were and where they stand today. The purpose of the first parts of the project is to help our readers see that the community faces serious issues that are not being addressed.

In later parts of the project, we hope to empower our readers to see what change is needed and what will work here to help rebuild this community.

We will be activists in our community, using our best journalism to identify and quantify problems and push for leadership for lasting solutions. We have chosen a bold approach because our goal is transformative change.

We expect our journalism to resonate with readers here and to be a template for other Midwestern cities seeking breakthroughs that would attract good jobs and offer young professionals a vibrant place to live.

The project’s overall tone will reflect that we care about our community, not that we are attacking it.

Toward that end, while we will not shy away from reporting on the thorny issues facing this region, we will also look for and celebrate the flames of hope — including the people who are helping others and the innovative entrepreneurs whose imaginations and hard work are producing good jobs for the region.

We want this to be a living, breathing project that uses both non-traditional and traditional approaches to tell this important story. We will involve our readers every step of the way, seeking their ideas, insights and local knowledge to drive better solutions for this city.