“With the People”
The Pew Center has just published a new 40-page booklet showcasing ideas from newspapers around the country for making news stories more interactive. The ideas came from entries in the 1996 Batten Awards for Excellence in Civic Journalism as well as from other civic journalism initiatives. They all demonstrate that as civic journalism is evolving, […]
Knight-Ridder to Fund Civic Journalism Projects
The Knight-Ridder newspaper chain has announced that it has completed a three-year partnership with the Pew Center for Civic Journalism by deciding to set aside a “significant” sum of money for public journalism projects in 1997. It set a March 14 deadline for newspapers to have submitted proposals for that funding. “The Pew Center has […]
New Newsroom Role: Community Coordinator
On March 1 The Portland Press Herald took its commitment to civic journalism to a new level. It became one of the first newspapers in the country to hire a full-time Community Coordinator. Her job is to help citizens connect to public life and to help the newspaper connect with the community. It was a […]
Covering Charlotte’s Culture War An Opportunity for Civic Journalism
By Chuck Clark Government Editor The Charlotte Observer When a local county commissioner proposed a resolution this spring to eliminate public funding for the local Arts & Science Council, the Culture War broke out in Charlotte — again. For years, the arts council has successfully acted as local government’s right arm in deciding which […]
The Old vs. A New Model of Journalism
By Chris Gates President National Civic League Many communities around the country are dramatically changing their culture and their behavior — yet most of the reporters covering them are stuck in an old style of journalism that is failing to capture their stories. That old style of journalism reflects how our communities did business […]
Changing the Personality of Local News Pages
By Dennis Hartig Managing Editor, The Virginian-Pilot Approximately 400,000 people open The Virginian-Pilot regularly for news about crime, city government and schools. About one in three express dissatisfaction with the coverage they find. So, every day we leave tens of thousands of people disappointed with reports basic to community life and essential to our success as a […]
Where’s Grandma?
By Mike Jacobs Two things can be said for a flood. One is that it creates opportunities for service. The Grand Forks Herald learned that while flood water was still lapping at the embers of our burned-out building. Grand Forks, N.D., and its sister city, East Grand Forks, Minn., were empty. More than 50,000 people had […]
Seattle’s Mock Citizens Jury Convicts
By Eric Pryne and Marion Woyvodich Guilty, guilty, guilty! That was the verdict when the “Front Porch Forum” staged a mock trial charging the citizens of the Puget Sound region with failing to do enough to preserve the area’s quality of life. The trial was the culmination of a year-long project titled, “Puget Sound 2020.” […]
Orange County Newsroom Conversations, New Approaches to News
By Dennis Foley Fifty reporters, editors, photographers, and page designers shift uncomfortably on hard wooden benches in a cramped room at the 226-year-old Mission San Juan Capistrano. Outside, the sun tries to fight through gray clouds and rain pelts the coin-filled plaza fountain. The blustery wind causes some of The Orange County Register journalists, chilled after seven […]
Newsroom Turnarounds: Civic vs. Traditional Approaches
By Glen L. Bleske Assistant Professor California State University, Chico Editors often opt for one model for remaking a troubled newspaper: They become mad bombers destroying walls and exploding comfortable traditions. Then they rebuild. One of the main props in rebuilding newsrooms in the 1990s has been civic journalism. But along the way, the conversation […]