Sarah Alvarez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization filling information, accountability and connection gaps in Detroit. The newsroom identifies, reports, and delivers valuable information to equip Detroiters to hold people and systems accountable for harm and to contribute to a thriving community.
Outlier’s core product is an SMS service that texts critical info to residents and connects them directly with reporters. Her methodologies are now being used by journalism organizations across the world. Before founding Outlier Media in 2015 as a JSK Fellow at Stanford University, she worked in civil rights law, nonprofit management, and public radio.
Candice Fortman is a JSK Fellow at Stanford University. She was most recently the Executive Director of Outlier Media, a nonprofit newsroom that centers and responds to the needs of Detroit residents. Under her leadership, Outlier Media enhanced its mission to provide equitable access to high-quality, reliable news through innovative approaches and partnerships while building an organization that challenges traditional journalism and serves as a model to organizations worldwide.
Before joining Outlier, Fortman was the marketing and engagement manager at WDET 101.9, Detroit’s NPR station. She also spent several years in the commercial radio industry. Fortman sits on the boards of Outlier Media and Cityside and is an advisory board member for OpenNews and Baltimore Beat.
