As Mobile Newsroom reporters move to Driving Park, the Northland team offers reflections

Micah Walker and Holly Zachariah, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
The first Columbus Dispatch Mobile Newsroom site operated out of the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and was introduced to the public on Oct. 21.
The first Columbus Dispatch Mobile Newsroom site operated out of the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and was introduced to the public on Oct. 21.

The lunchtime crowd at the Casa Mezcal Mexican Grill was relatively small on Thursday, with just a handful of people sitting at the bar and a few at one table.

The small number of customers did not correlate to the quality of the food, however, as Holly Zachariah and I found out. After the server brought our meals — a chicken quesadilla for me and carne asada for Holly — we couldn't wait to dig in. Both dishes were delicious!

Holly and I decided to dine at the Northland eatery for our last official meal as part of the Dispatch’s Mobile Newsroom initiative.

In October, we kicked off the Mobile Newsroom at the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, curious to learn more about the Northland neighborhood, including the residents and organizations that make it up.

The idea behind this venture is that Dispatch journalists will meet people where they are and immerse ourselves in the diverse communities we cover. The hope is to better listen and learn from those around us to earn trust and build relationships.

We hope we did that.

Read more: Notes and reflections from Northland

Almost immediately, Holly and I felt welcome at the library. Employees often stopped our work station to chat and offer story ideas, or to simply say hi and ask how things were going. We can't name them all, of course, but people like Jan and Ted and Mickie and Christine and Mark and David were all so very kind to us. We were grateful.

Columbus Dispatch staff members work in the Mobile Newsroom at the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. From left are reporters Holly Zachariah, Sheridan Hendrix and Micah Walker and photographer Doral Chenoweth.
Columbus Dispatch staff members work in the Mobile Newsroom at the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. From left are reporters Holly Zachariah, Sheridan Hendrix and Micah Walker and photographer Doral Chenoweth.

Just as important, Holly and I made connections with people in the community.

Since we were both unfamiliar with Northland, it was challenging at times to know the right people to talk to. Luckily, during our first week, we met with Judith Cockrell and Alicia Ward from the community development organization Elevate Northland, who gave us a personal tour of the neighborhood and lots of ideas.

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The two of us were also able to highlight the positive events happening in the immigrant communities in Northland. Holly talked to the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio about offering mental-wellness programming for Bhutanese-Nepali residents.

Meanwhile, I talked to leaders in the Somali community about the importance of the Global Mall, which has become a hub for Somali business owners and customers on Morse Road.

For Holly, the best part of our time there was just meeting people where they live. Take, for instance, the man she struck up a conversation with while in line at the East Dublin-Granville Road post office on her lunch break one day.

Jose had dropped an unstamped envelope into the box and needed a clerk to get it out. While they waited, Holly asked him about the the community: Where is the best place to eat? (Fogoncito taco truck on Cleveland Avenue, he said). Does he have kids in schools here? (No.) Does he work here? (Yes, he's a delivery driver.)

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Many Dispatch journalists visited the Mobile Newsroom in Northland, including Audience Engagement Editor Chandler Boese, left, who worked alongside Trending Reporter Micah Walker.
Many Dispatch journalists visited the Mobile Newsroom in Northland, including Audience Engagement Editor Chandler Boese, left, who worked alongside Trending Reporter Micah Walker.

And for her it was meeting people like Mohammed, who co-owns Safina African Restaurant that opened during the pandemic inside a little strip of stores in front of the Shell gas station at Cleveland Avenue and Morse Road. He told her how difficult it has been to be a new business owner in the middle of a shutdown. She promised to spread the word about the place.

And then there were people like Johari Mitchell, who stopped by the library with her daughter to pick up some books and ended up striking up a random conversation after she thought we were library employees. Turns out, Mitchell is an author herself. Hopefully, you'll read a Dispatch story about her in the coming weeks or months.

It was a privilege to be one of the first people to be part of the Mobile Newsroom. Northland is a vibrant, unique piece of Columbus that is full of people who live, work and love their community.

Even though Holly and I were only there for a short time, we made an impact with the stories we told by showing a side of Northland readers haven't seen before. And the people we met meant something to us.

We hope that the people we met in the community or who stopped by the library don't hesitate to call or email us in the future.

The Mobile Newsroom's next stop is the Driving Park neighborhood, where reporters Mark Ferenchik and Erica Thompson will be taking over. The kickoff for that initiative is Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Driving Park branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, 1422 E. Livingston Ave.

Come join us!

mwalker@dispatch.com

@Micah_Walker701

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Dispatch's Mobile Newsroom wraps up in Northland, heads east