Men as Peacemakers, Duluth, MN 1996
Partners:
Duluth (MN) News Tribune
WDSE-TV public television
Violence Free Duluth organization
The project “Men as Peacemakers” reversed the normal tendency to let men stay on the sidelines while women lead efforts to end violence and attracted the efforts of hundreds of Duluth men.
A community organization approached the media partners after a series of particularly gruesome incidents in Duluth, asking for help in promoting violence- prevention strategies. Initially, the partners agreed to finance a retreat, where about 50 men planned strategies for curbing violence. Impressed with the results, the partners launched a civic journalism project to explore the issue more fully.
In March 1996, the News-Tribune began seven-month series of stories on ways people are affected by violence, how they learn to be violent through sports, the media and in the home, and how prejudice, drugs and peer pressure influence violence. The paper also printed and distributed a resource guide showing men what services are needed and exactly how to volunteer.
WDSE featured segments on its public affairs show and produced a documentary and a 90-minute televised town forum, Oct. 8, 1996. The documentary was distributed to libraries and edited for use in classrooms, along with a teacher’s guide created for the project.
The “Men as Peacemakers” group grew from the original 50 to more than 200 and sponsored a “week without violence” that included a community fair, showcasing the news coverage and showing people how they could get involved.
Contact:
Craig Gemoules
Deputy Managing Editor
Tampa Tribune
202 S. Parker Street
Tampa, FL 33601
TEL: (813) 259-7600
FAX: (813) 259-7676
EMAIL: cgemoules@tampatrib.com