New team members in development, people operations and sponsorship, and the creation of a new community journalism position, are designed to ensure the nonprofit news organization is best positioned to thrive.
Author Archives: Tasneem Raja
Tasneem Raja is the Editor-in-Chief of The Oaklandside. A pioneer in data journalism and local nonprofit news startups, she co-founded The Tyler Loop, a nationally recognized community news platform in East Texas. She was a senior editor at NPR's Code Switch and at Mother Jones, where the team she led helped build the first-ever database of mass shootings in America. She started her career as features reporter at The Chicago Reader and The Philadelphia Weekly, and lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.
Posted inHow We Work
The Oaklandside’s Road Safety reporting gets another boost: funding to focus on science
For the next two years, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will help us bring a science-driven approach to our reporting on one of Oakland’s serious public health issues.
Posted inCity Hall
‘It’s not a pretty process’: The Oaklandside’s Darwin BondGraham on his new book investigating Oakland police
The Riders Come Out at Night, co-authored by Ali Winston, reports untold stories of brutality, corruption, and attempted reform in OPD.
Posted inCity Hall
Timeline: How the Alameda County Registrar of Voters ran—and fumbled—the November election
Two months after Election Day, a school board race is still undecided. Lawsuits and a possible recount loom. The Oaklandside reconstructed how we got here.
Posted inCity Hall
Sheng Thao’s path to victory in the Oakland mayor’s race
Allyssa Victory almost didn’t end up on the ballot, but her campaign’s supporters propelled Thao to victory in the ranked-choice runoff.
Posted inHow We Work
How The Oaklandside covers political campaigns while staying independent
You can’t buy favorable coverage. And you can’t write us a big check without us disclosing it. More on our nonprofit newsroom’s editorial firewall in this election and beyond.
Posted inHow We Work
The Oaklandside says goodbye to David DeBolt, welcomes Jose Fermoso
Fermoso will continue his outstanding coverage of road safety and more as a staff reporter while DeBolt moves on to become an editor with BANG.
Posted inHow We Work
The Oaklandside is 2 today! Here are 10 stories you’ve loved so far
Strange creatures lurking beneath Lake Merritt, secret stairs, the closures of iconic Oakland restaurants, staying safe during the pandemic, and more.
Posted inArts & Community
Photos: Native cultures, resilience, and resistance at the Mills College Pow Wow
The event returned to East Oakland after a year off due to the pandemic, joined by the Indigenous Red Market.
Posted inOaklandside
Cómo reportamos sobre la vida de Mario González
Nuestra sala de redacción se esfuerza por informar responsablemente y con mucho cuidado sobre la vida de aquellas personas afectadas por violencia. Queríamos compartir más sobre nuestro enfoque de esta historia.
Posted inHow We Work
How we reported on the life of Mario Gonzalez
Striving to report responsibly on the lives of people impacted by violence requires great care. We wanted to share more on our approach to this story.
Posted inHow We Work
How is The Oaklandside living up to our values? Introducing Mission Metrics, our pilot program to keep learning from community
With support from the San Francisco Foundation, we’re working with paid community advisors to help us track and grow the impact of our journalism.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Get text updates about the COVID-19 vaccine in Oakland
The Oaklandside is launching a text number to help English speakers ask questions and get new info. Our partner El Tímpano serves Spanish-speaking residents with its own text service.
Posted inArts & Community
Toy, food, and supply drives you can still donate to in Oakland this holiday season
These Oakland volunteer efforts and nonprofits want you to know they’re still accepting in-kind or cash donations for winter efforts.
Posted inCity Hall
Map: Where to drop your ballot at 24/7 official drop boxes in Oakland
There are 17 drop boxes across Oakland, and 66 across Alameda County. You can use any of them. Don’t forget to sign your envelope first!
Posted inArts & Community
Miss going dancing, giving hugs, and getting physical? The new issue of Umber is for you
Oakland designer Mike Nicholls on why the latest issue of Umber, the “creative thinker’s graphic journal,” focuses on sports, athletics, and movement.
Posted inHow We Work
Want to contribute to The Oaklandside as a freelancer?
We want to make it easy to understand our process. Here’s what we’re looking for, and how we’ll support you.
Posted inHow We Work
Our founding values
News organizations don’t always tell you—or know—what drives their decisions. We wanted to share.
Posted inHow We Work
Built on a foundation of listening
Hundreds of Oaklanders told us what they want from local journalism. Here’s what we learned.
Posted inOaklandside
Relief for East Bay artists, mapping food security, and goodbye Stork Club (for now)
News and notes from our Oakland newsletter.
