(Visit the 1997 Batten Awards and Symposium event page.)
Washington, D.C., Friday April 11, 1997 – The Pew Center for Civic Journalism today announced the recipients of the 1997 James K. Batten Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism. The awards will be presented May 14 in Washington, D.C.
The three newspapers sharing the prize of $25,000 are the Peoria Journal Star for its project, “The Leadership Challenge,” The Bradenton Herald, for “Decision Downtown,” and the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle/ Times-Union, for its series “Make Us Safe: Teens Talk about Violence.”
“The winning entries all illuminate the diversity and innovation of civic journalism as it engaged people in all three of these communities in grappling with tough issues in a newsy and no-nonsense manner and in ways that kept citizens engaged long after the journalism ended,” said the Batten advisory board in selecting the winners.
In deciding for the second year in a row to split the cash prize after a three-way tie vote, the board said, “The evolution of civic journalism has given rise to a remarkable creativity among regional newspapers around the country. Let these efforts fuel more ideas about journalism’s role in today’s society.”
The winners were selected from 90 entries, including many efforts aimed at involving citizens and candidates in deeper discussions of the issues during the 1996 elections. The board took special note of these election initiatives: “We applaud the continued growth and increasing sophistication of these efforts as exemplary civic journalism.”
The winners will receive their awards on May 14 in Washington, D.C. at the annual James K. Batten Symposium. This year’s symposium will feature a panel of noted journalists discussing newsroom change.
The winners were selected by a board of respected journalists, headed by Thomas Winship, Editor Emeritus of The Boston Globe and Chairman of the International Center for Journalism. Members include, Katherine W. Fanning, former editor of the Christian Science Monitor; Teresa Hanafin, Assistant Managing Editor/Metro, The Boston Globe; W. Davis Merritt, Senior Editor of The Wichita Eagle; John Miller, Managing Editor of the Myrtle Beach Sun News; Mizell Stewart III, Metro Editor, The Akron Beacon Journal; Jeannine Guttman, Editor, The Portland (Me.) Newspapers; Gene Roberts, Managing Editor, The New York Times; Amy McCombs, President and General Manager of KRON-TV in San Francisco; Joe Ritchie, Knight Chair in Journalism, Florida A&M University; and Ed Fouhy, Executive Director of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism.
Following Are the James K. Batten Award Citations for 1997:
To the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald, “Decision Downtown.”
“For an excellent and nimble example of the principles of civic journalism being applied in an action-oriented way. With the Bradenton City Council on the verge of deciding to build a new city hall-fire-police complex on prime waterfront land, the newspaper acted on good civic journalism reflexes. The paper had no particular interest in where the facility would be built but it did recognize that the decision had had no public discussion. Through its quickly mounted and aggressive reporting of the route the decision had taken, the Herald caused a delay, a citizens advisory board was appointed, and more than 1,000 citizens attended a public hearing. Ultimately, part of the facility went precisely where the City Council had planned, but it went there after citizens deliberated and their voices were heard. Re-engaging citizens in public life is the goal of civic journalism and the Herald’s effort was a clear example of a newspaper making the opportunity for engagement available where it otherwise would not have been.”
To the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star, “The Leadership Challenge.”
“For an innovative, solutions-oriented approach to a subtle, but pervasive problem:the decline of civic leadership. In setting out to document and enlighten the community on the issue, the Journal Star sparked outrage among the community’s established power structure. Using community surveys, polls, focus groups, and traditional journalism, the newspaper and its media partners framed the problems in depth in various sectors of the community, edified readers with excellent explanatory journalism, and invited their ideas at a brainstorming town meeting. The year-long process ultimately overcame newsroom skepticism, resistance from entrenched local interests, and the gibes of competitors in the press to help the community come not only to a better understanding of the reasons for the decline in civic leadership but also its costs to society. This clear-eyed vision of the key role the news media could play had a measurable affect on the resolution of the issue.”
To the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle/Times-Union: “Make Us Safe: Teens Talk about Violence.”
“For a bold and comprehensive approach to the critical issue of teen violence. The media partners, which also included WXXI public television and radio, the ABC affiliate WOKR-TV and WDKX-FM, surveyed more than 1,700 middle school and high school students. Their data shattered stereotypes by documenting startling levels of fear, widespread access to weapons, and the impact of living in a violent culture. But their efforts did not stop at a week-long series chronicling the problem, both in the city and the suburbs. The partners then focused for a week on solutions to the problems, creating a communitywide conversation that generated ideas for involvement and pledges of peace from the young people themselves.”