Do you know Jeffrey? The face behind Dallas Free Press texts
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The voicemails in my Dallas Free Press inbox tell the story of how we’re not a typical “newsroom.”
One is from a man wanting to attend our next Dallas Documenters training. (It’s not scheduled yet, but stay tuned!) Another is from a woman asking about the open driver position for the free on-demand shuttle we covered as a transportation solution.
Yet another, from back in January, is from a woman looking for information on the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade — not how to attend, but how to register and participate. And then a voicemail from someone who submitted events to our community calendar and wanted to know where to find them on our website.
None of these are hot story tips. And by the way, we don’t sit at our computers waiting for tips to come in; we spend time in South Dallas and West Dallas listening to what our neighbors need from us.
And what they often need is connections to resources and events.
Nearly 1,000 people in South Dallas and West Dallas subscribe to our weekly text message service. Jeffrey Ruiz, our communications coordinator, puts together short lists of what’s happening plus content links, and shares them with neighbors two or three times a week. (Feeling left out? You can sign up here!)
It’s a two-way text service, so neighbors can text him back directly with questions, thoughts, emojis, whatever. One of Jeffrey’s favorite parts of the job, he tells me, is the gracious “thank you” texts he receives for keeping neighbors “in the know” and “in the loop.”
Jeffrey doesn’t write long-form narratives or pursue investigative projects (except, of course, for all the chisme he collects as he makes the rounds ;). But if one definition of “journalist” is someone you know and trust to deliver crucial information, Jeffrey fits the description perfectly.
“Everybody knows Jeffrey,” our team often teases. One of my favorite things is when people meet him and realize he’s the Jeffrey whose signature is on their text messages. That’s what had just happened in the photo at the top, when Baldwin Hamilton encountered Jeffrey for the first time and wrapped him in a bear hug.
I missed that shot. Hopefully Jeffrey can help me with my photojournalism skills.
Dallas Free Press founder + executive director
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Keri Mitchell has spent 20+ years as a community journalist, including 15 years dedicated to community and civic journalism at Dallas’ Advocate magazines. She launched Dallas Free Press in early 2020 with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable.
Mitchell says she is energized by “knowing our work is making an impact — listening to people, telling their stories with strong narratives paired with compelling data that leads to change. I also love spending time in our neighborhoods and with our neighbors, learning from them and working to determine how journalism can be part of the solution to their challenges.”
Mitchell is proud to be the winner of multiple awards during her journalism career including: Finalist in Magazine Feature Reporting (2018) and Finalist in Magazine Investigative Reporting (2017) from Hugh Aynesworth Excellence in Journalism, Best Feature Story (2011) from Texas Community Newspaper Association and Best Magazine Feature (2011) from Dallas Bar Association Philbin Awards.
Areas of Expertise:
local government, education, civic issues, investigative and enterprise reporting
Location Expertise:
Dallas, Texas
Official Title:
Founder + executive director
Email Address:
keri@dallasfreepress.com
