Project Topic: Project Topic

Race in the Yakima Valley, Yakima, WA

 in Race Relations

Race in the Yakima Valley, Yakima, WA 2000 

Partners:

Yakima Herald-Republic

Immigration has boosted the Hispanic presence in Yakima to 37 percent of the total population. The paper explored the resulting tensions and benefits in a seven-day series, “Race in the Yakima Valley,” Dec. 10-16, 2000. Reporters and editors worked with an ethnically diverse advisory committee to develop questions for a survey of 400 Hispanic and 400 non-Hispanic Yakima area residents. The paper also convened two focus groups. Read more

Focus on the Ethnic Voter and Bay Area Bridges, San Francisco, CA

 in Race Relations

Focus on the Ethnic Voter and Bay Area Bridges, San Francisco, CA 2000 

Partners:

Pacific News Service/New California Media

Pacific News Service seized the 2000 presidential and local California elections to demonstrate the growing political clout of ethnic voters and, in the process, created new outlets for diverse voices in the mainstream media.

Pooling the resources of 100 ethnic newspapers and broadcast stations in the Bay Area, Pacific News Service started New California Media in 1996 to circulate stories among its members. Pew funding allowed the nascent service to step up activities during the election and focus on the impact of ethnic voters.  Read more

Living with Cancer, Elmira, NY

 in Quality of Life


Living with Cancer, Elmira, NY 2000 

Partners:

Star-Gazette
WETM-TV (NBC)
WSKG-FM, WSKG-TV

A year-long project looked at the impact of the region’s higher-than-average cancer rate and the steps citizens can take to prevent the disease. Monthly installments in the paper, each focusing on a different aspect of the disease, were complemented by radio and television news segments and special TV programs as well as interactive online quizzes and links to other helpful sites.

Reporting was informed both by a poll of 405 Chemung County residents that showed 60 percent had cancer in their family and by an advisory group of 12 “core sources,” including two cancer patients, an oncologist, a nurse, a social worker, a state legislator and others. They suggested and helped frame stories for the series. Read more

Shock Value, Concord, NH

 in Economy

Shock Value, Concord, NH 2000 

Partners:

New Hampshire Public Radio

NHPR used the interactive Web technology it pioneered with its Tax Calculator to give the state’s citizens an idea of how electricity deregulation would affect their utility bills. The special “Shock Value” Web site, linking off the NHPR home page, served as both a primer on deregulation and a tool for figuring out how to save money after the state legislature deregulated electricity in May 2000. Users were invited to leave their email addresses so NHPR could notify them of new developments affecting their utility bills. The site also featured a bulletin-board discussion area where ratepayers could post messages that were automatically forwarded to an email box set up for state legislators on the deregulation committee. Read more

West Virginia After Coal, Huntington, WV

 in Economy

West Virginia After Coal, Huntington, WV 2000 

Partners:

The (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch
West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The partners made economic revitalization the dominant issue in West Virginia legislative and political debate with “West Virginia After Coal,” a far-reaching exploration of the state’s prospects if it continues to rely solely on coal for its economic well-being.

The project provided a number of features to educate citizens and generate discussion including a newspaper series, a live town hall meeting and a dedicated website. Read more

Eyes on the Bronx, Bronx, NY

 in Engagement

Eyes on the Bronx, Bronx, NY 1999

Partners:

BRONXNET
The Bronx Journal

BronxNet extended its efforts to link the borough’s multi-ethnic communities with the creation of several new broadcasts, utilizing its four public-access cable channels and its Web site. The broadcasts took advantage of the newly built Bronx Journalism Center at Lehman College, opened in 1999 and featuring both audio and video production facilities that allowed it to serve as a kind of “town square” for broadcast community discussions on issues of importance. Read more

Citizens’ Links for News, St. Paul, MN

 in Engagement

Citizens’ Links for News, St. Paul, MN 1999

Partners:

Internews Interactive
KTCA-TV

Pew Center funds supported the use of videoconferencing technology that allowed KTCA to originate broadcasts from new and unconventional locations and to connect citizens from far-flung parts of the large, rural state. The result was innovative programming with groundbreaking levels of interactivity.

The first broadcast to use the new technology, in January 1999, linked newly elected Gov. Jesse Ventura, in the KTCA studios in St. Paul, with citizens in Bemidji, Mankato, Duluth, Windom and Minneapolis for a discussion of his new tax policies. Read more

Civic Mapping, Anniston, AL

 in Engagement

Civic Mapping, Anniston, AL 1999

Partners:

Anniston Star

The Star used civic mapping techniques to generate a database of more than 600 informal community leaders from churches, parent-teacher groups, civil rights organizations and other sources. The database could be searched by organization, community and area of interest and it was centrally located in the newsroom so any reporter could use it to find community sources for a story.

The first big pay-off came March 2, 1999, the day the Alabama Legislature began its annual session. Instead of the usual lawmakers and lobbyists, the front page featured ideas gathered from a forum where 12 of these informal leaders met with all five members of the area’s legislative delegation and raised issues they wanted addressed by the lawmakers. Read more