Pew Center Civic Journalism Projects

 in Winter 1995  tagged Pew Updates

Winter 1995

Pew Center Civic Journalism Projects


This past year, several civic journalism projects have been funded by the Center for Civic Journalism, which was set up by the Pew Charitable Trusts as the centerpiece of its “Renewing Our Democratic Heart” initiative. The center seeks to help newspapers and radio and television stations strengthen their ties with readers, listeners and viewers.




CHARLOTTE, N.C.
EDITOR: JENNIE BUCKNER

In early summer, the Charlotte Observer launched its “Taking Back our Neighborhoods/Carolina Crime Solutions” project with WSOC-TV (the ABC affiliate) and radio stations WPEG and WBAV.


Charlotte ranks 18th among major cities in its violent crime rate, but is only 34th in size. The newspaper used traditional database journalism techniques to analyze crime statistics for all its urban neighborhoods, then focused on five that were especially hard hit by crime.


The media partners have jointly sponsored a town meeting in each of those neighborhoods to bring together residents and leaders to talk about the problems and possible solutions. With a lot of cross promotion by the partners, each town meeting has attracted a couple hundred neighborhood residents. The Observer covers the meetings in the next day’s editions and the radio stations broadcast public affairs programs and news reports. A couple of weeks later, the newspaper does a major special report on that neighborhood, focusing on what residents think can be done to solve the problems. The report is published the same day WSOC broadcasts the town meetings in a Sunday night television special.


The newspaper articles are peppered with “success stories” of residents who have done something to overcome their plight. Accompanying the special reports are specific lists of things people in the community can do to help out. The newspaper follows up with stories on who has volunteered to do what — on the family who donated a spare basketball hoop to a teen-aged boy mentioned in one article, or on the bank that donated $50,000 to help build a new recreation center in one community.


The project has generated a lot of momentum in the four communities profiled so far. About 500 people have volunteered to meet a wide range of needs that were identified. Their calls were coordinated by the United Way. Also about 18 local law firms have offered to file pro bono public nuisance suits to close down crack houses.



TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
EDITOR: LOU HELDMAN

For their “Public Agenda” project, the Tallahassee Democrat and its partners, CBS affiliate WCTV, Florida State University and Florida A&M University have spent the summer gathering information through “living room conversations” with small groups of citizens moderated by a discussion leader. Formal surveys of citizens are being done by The Harwood Group, a Bethesda, Md., public research firm, and a local firm, Kerr & Downs. About 70 Tallahasseans are being trained as Public Agenda moderators to facilitate future community talks. The goal: To set the stage for a public dialogue on issues that citizens say are important to them. Children, crime, growth and development seem to be emerging as key issues.


In mid-November, the Democrat carried the results of the surveys of local residents. Then the paper did a four-part series explaining the project to readers and inviting participation. On Nov. 16, a large public forum was held at the State Capitol to foster discussion on the kind of community citizens want Tallahassee to become. The forum was videotaped for later broadcast. Citizens will meet again on Dec. 1.


What’s the goal of this project? In the words of Democrat editor Lou Heldman, it is to achieve Daniel Yankelovich’s “state of highly developed public opinion that exists once people have engaged an issue, considered it from all sides, understood the choices it leads to and accepted the full consequences of the choices they make.”



WICHITA, KAN.
EDITOR: DAVIS “BUZZ” MERRITT

With an established track record in civic journalism, the Wichita Eagle is engaged in a project to try to define the public spaces where citizens get their information and initiate the decision-making process. The Harwood Group has been studying and surveying two communities to determine where the residents get their information and where a journalist might need to go to get grassroots insight into what’s on residents’ minds. Richard Harwood calls it “building the infrastructure” of public journalism. Where does a reporter need to go to really “connect” to a community? And how should questions be framed to be sure to elicit what is really on citizens’ minds?



MADISON, WISC.
EDITORS: TOM STILL, FRANK DENTON, DAVE IVERSON.

“We the People” is a three-year-old civic journalism effort, partnering the Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Public Television and Radio, and Wood Communications Group, a market research firm. In March 1992 they co-sponsored a two-state presidential primary debate involving audiences in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. In October of that year, they held town hall meetings that led to a debate between U.S. Senate candidates. In April 1993, they held town hall meetings in four cities that led to a debate between candidates for state superintendent of schools, an elected position. Since June 1993 the partners have conducted quarterly town meetings to stimulate citizen debate on such issues as the state budget, property-tax relief, outcome-based education, health care, youth issues and the fall campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate. The initiative has been so successful that, in June, WISC-TV, the CBS affiliate, asked to become a partner.



CHICAGO, ILL.
PROJECT DIRECTOR: JOAN BEAUBAIRE

The Illinois Election Project teamed the League of Women Voters and the University of Illinois in sponsoring a statewide opinion survey of citizens before the March primary. Focus groups were then formed to provide more insight into the issues identified in the survey and suggest possible solutions. Next, two panels of citizens, one city and one suburban, interviewed experts in the problem areas defined by the focus groups and developed a set of policy recommendations — a citizens’ agenda — to resolve the issues. The entire process was widely reported in the news media, including the Chicago Tribune and several suburban and down-state dailies.