Winter 1997
How to Keep Civic Journalism Working
By Frank Denton
2. Understand that civic journalism will be most powerful when it is built on a foundation of serious journalism, including investigative reporting when appropriate. This reporting can emerge from the civic journalism initiative (as it did in Asbury Park’s “House of Cards” investigation), or the reporting can inform and provoke the civic journalism (as it did with our “City of Hope” and “Schools of Hope” projects). 3. Talk the staff through the thinking that led to civic journalism, so they can discover the same reasoning for themselves. Challenge preconceptions and assumptions. Look at what the paper is doing and compare it to traditional newspaper roles. Ask them how they felt when their traditional journalism was ineffective or even ignored. Warn them that these changes are part of an important evolution in journalism — not just a fad that will pass. 4. Show the value of more multi-dimensional and thoughtful reporting on issues, rising above our traditional tendency to pose two extremes yelling at each other. 5. Teach the value of recent and frequent messages. The power of advertising is a function of how recent and/or how frequent the messages are. We can use that power toward the ends of civic journalism, worrying less about whether “we already reported that two months ago,” as if any reader would remember. 6. Set “big hairy audacious goals” (to borrow from the book, Built to Last) — not so big nor so hairy as to be unattainable, but big enough to have real meaning, not just win a plaque. 2. Build a newsroom consensus: on the reason for the project, on focus and design of the project, and on goals and limitations. Be sure there is focused leadership, usually meaning a single editor. Carefully and fully explain any links outside the newspaper. 3. Become adept at using a wide variety of reporting, editing and presentation techniques simultaneously. 4. Encourage the newsroom to invent new approaches to accomplish the project’s goal. Often our traditional practices are inadequate, and sometimes even destructive. 5. Develop links, or even partnerships, with other news media, to draw on their strengths. Research shows that synergies can result from, say, a newspaper and TV station working together. Show how such collaboration makes much more journalism sense than seeing TV as news “competitors.” (In “Schools of Hope,” we give our TV partners our major investigative findings so they can report it first and help build our audience and the anticipation of our far more complete report.) 6. Carefully monitor that these new ways of working do not compromise important journalistic values — fairness, impartiality, independence and appropriate toughness. 7. Show the staff it works! And when it does, celebrate. In the community . . . 2. If you’re doing a project, take on only your community’s toughest issues for the best chance of widespread commitment among people. 3. Develop a meaningful name and logo to cue recognition and response. A really effective one will become public domain and become part of the conversation well beyond the newspaper. Be delighted when this happens and cheerfully forego ownership. (People now ask us if we can “We the People” an issue, creating a verb from the project’s name.) 4. Ensure that the project quickly will achieve community ownership. (In Madison now, the community people working on “Schools of Hope” sometimes note that it “originated with the Wisconsin State Journal.” Our readership research shows greater reader satisfaction with our education coverage, but little recognition of our sponsorship of “Schools of Hope.” That’s one indication, but it doesn’t make our marketers very happy.) 5. Carefully choose and manage any community links in appropriate ways. Discuss the issue, the processes and the journalism with a wide range of key community members. Obviously, avoid any single-issue special interests. 6. Draw on community knowledge and ideas in planning the journalism. (The first planning meeting for “Schools of Hope” included a retired principal, a student, an education professor and one of her doctoral students, in addition to the usual array of editors and reporters.) 7. Try to establish an independent champion or facilitator who has community-wide credibility, substantial independence from special interests, a forceful personality and a personal commitment. (Our “Schools of Hope” leadership group is facilitated by a United Way executive.) And in all cases 9. Make clear your long-term commitment to the issue you select. Readers appreciate continuity and follow up. (“City of Hope” is more than five years old, and we’re still following up, with the same sig.) 10. Show the community civic journalism works! (I’ve gotten discouraged at times – but then cheered by encouragement from the community.) When it does, celebrate.
The Wisconsin State Journal has been practicing civic journalism longer than many newsrooms in the country. Its well-established media partnership, “We the People/Wisconsin,” explores issues quarterly, and its newsroom has undertaken two other long-term efforts — “City of Hope” and “Schools of Hope”– that have engaged the community. Here are some tips for sustaining the momentum.
1. Get beyond one editor’s project or priority, particularly if civic journalism is to survive her or his departure. New ways of thinking and functioning must be institutionalized. The newsroom challenge is much tougher than executing projects because it involves such complex issues as framing stories and issues, enabling readers, modeling, reader representation and real-life levels of analysis.
If you’re doing a project . . .
1. Take on only your community’s toughest issues for the best chance of widespread commitment among journalists.
1. As our city editor, Tim Kelley, said: “People don’t have to be dragged into civic participation; they step forward readily if given the tools: information and a venue to express themselves.”
8. Sustain civic journalism in the community through the sheer volume of your journalism. When we provide expansive coverage of a serious issue over time, people pay attention. (Madison’s educators have said that, even if the “Schools of Hope” efforts accomplished nothing, our sustained reporting on the issues and possible solutions have substantially raised public awareness, knowledge and interest.)