El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of Oakland’s Latinx and Mayan immigrants.

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

El Tímpano’s methods of civic engagement include a community microphone that travels the streets, libraries, churches, and laundromats of East Oakland and an SMS-based reporting platform to provide timely information and facilitate conversation. Through these and other innovative, community-driven approaches that leverage the tools, experiences, and assets of Oakland’s Spanish-speaking immigrants, El Tímpano seeks to foster civic engagement and political empowerment while building more inclusive local media.