Neighbor to Neighbor, Cincinnati, OH 2001
Partners:
The Cincinnati Enquirer,
WCET-TV (PBS),
WCPO-TV (CBS),
WKRC-TV (ABC),
WLWT-TV (NBC),
Kettering Foundation,
National Issues Forum
A year of extraordinary racial tension in Cincinnati in 2001 prompted an extraordinary response by the city’s media, led by the Enquirer, which collaborated on a project that involved 2,000 local residents in solutions-oriented conversations about race.
The paper had begun focusing on race even before rioting broke out in Cincinnati, publishing a race project March 4, 2001 – just five weeks before mobs took to the streets over the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman. With Pew support, the paper worked with its partners to go beyond traditional reporting and facilitate crucial citizen-to-citizen communication.
The partners started the project with a poll in August 2001 of 1,112 adults in Greater Cincinnati. A five-part series, “Divided by Race,” Sept. 2-6, looked at the stark divide between black and white responses. WCPO hosted a panel discussion with live studio audiences in three parts of the viewing area.
The partners followed up the initial reporting project with a second, more solutions-oriented project, “Neighbor to Neighbor.” During October, partners announced an effort to bring together groups of neighbors to discuss race and possibly take some action toward reconciliation. Readers were encouraged to sign up for a session online or through a clip-and-send coupon in the paper. Neighborhood-based conversations began Nov. 11. On Nov. 25, the paper ran its first repot on what people were saying. More readers signed up.
Within four months, some 130 conversations had been held, involving more than 2,000 people. Nearly half the participants held follow-up meetings on their own. One group was meeting regularly. Several of the groups had developed recommendations for action and were exploring joint services between black and white churches and opening lines of communication between neighborhood groups and police. All the major media in Cincinnati, acting as the Cincinnati Media Collaborative, covered the conversations in regular reports or special programming. The Enquirer started regular features, including “Diversity Success Stories” and a weekend “Diversity Report Card” on how the effort was progressing.
To extend the reach of the conversation, the Collaborative partners started a book project, “On the Same Page,” aimed at getting residents to read the same book and attend a discussion group about it. The book chosen was “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines. The effort culminated when Gaines visited Cincinnati in April for a live call-in show on WCET.
Contact:
Rosemary J. Goudreau
Managing Editor
The Cincinnati Enquirer
312 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-2410
Phone: (513) 768-8311
Email: rgoudreau@enquirer.com