El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrants

Through innovative approaches to local journalism and civic engagement, El Tímpano surfaces community members’ stories and questions on local and national issues, provides news and information relevant to their needs, and investigates the concerns they bring to our attention.

El Tímpano launched in 2018 after a 9-month participatory design process that involved hundreds of residents and dozens of community leaders from Oakland’s Latino and Mayan immigrant communities.

All of our editorial priorities and distribution strategies have been shaped by what we heard, and by ongoing conversations with the communities we cover and serve. 

Our approaches to community-centered reporting include creative in-person engagement—like a community microphone we’ve taken to libraries, laundromats, and street corners across East Oakland—and a text-message platform that provides actionable local news and participatory reporting. Our journalism is powered by the thousands of Latino and Mayan immigrants from across the Bay Area who trust us with their questions, stories, and concerns. 

El Tímpano’s text-messaging platform and community microphone were both inspired by the Listening Post model of participatory journalism.