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MEDIA EDITING GROUP aka "meg18"
The Co-Founder of the Media Editing Group (MEG) is Rich Redmond
Redmond is the former Pastor of "Blessed in the City" Christian Church, the founder, and CEO of a student incentive non-profit org., a former WLS-TV news journalist, and a long-time member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ - Chicago Chapter).
He is most noted for his work as the Co-Strategist for the National Committee to federalize the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He worked under the leadership of the committee's National Strategist, O'Field Dukes (hired by renowned singer "Stevie Wonder") and worked directly with the widow of Dr. King, Mrs. Coretta Scott-King to write the three-fold purpose for the holiday.
Rich served as Media Advisor for Congressman Harold Washington's mayoral campaign (1982-83) and as Aide to Mayor Washington, the first Black Mayor of Chicago (1983-87). As a Mayoral Aide, Redmond wrote programs to address various social ills in the city, and co-created Chicago's first historical five-radio-station simulcast talk show for Washington called "The Mayor's Report."
"The Mayor's Report" proved to be a formidable weapon for Washington against Chicago's mainstream media outlets' negative coverage of his administration during his first term in office (1983-87).
Following the death of Washington, Redmond continued on at the Mayor's Office as a Mayoral Aide to Mayor Eugene Sawyer (1987-89). In 1990, while working for Mayor Richard M. Daley as a Community Consultant, Redmond resigned from the Mayor's Office to create a public school student incentive program known as the "Jamboree." The Jamboree program became an all-time popular student incentive program for over 49 high schools and 125 middle schools throughout the Midwest for over twenty-five years, from 1990 to 2015.
In 2011, along with other former TV news journalists, Rich created what is known today as the "Media Editing Group" (MEG). MEG is a non-partisan community organization that critiques journalism practices of Chicago TV news broadcast stations' reporters. As MEG is now in its 14th year, its sole purpose has always been to "Defend and Protect the Image of the Community" (D.P.I.C.). A motto that is symbolized in the CREST of MEG as illustrated below.
In September 2019, MEG met separately with the presidents and news directors of Chicago’s five major TV news stations to introduce its organization. After each meeting, MEG and the news executives from channels 2, 5, 7, 9, and 32 agreed to create an ongoing partnership to address MEG’s assessments of their station’s coverage. The partnership continues today.
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