KUT-FM (Public Broadcasting) University of Texas The Austin American Statesman When KUT decided to develop a local news program, its director saw an opportunity to create a “civic” newsroom, building his operation from the ground up with the principless of civic journalism in mind. Pew funding allowed the station to research the community-its make-up and […]

The Arlington Morning News The Dallas Morning News KERA-FM KERA-TV The University of Texas, Arlington The partners seized on an initiative by the city of Arlington to increase citizen participation with “We the City,” a civic approach to covering the city’s move toward a deliberative model of government. The first stories, Feb. 7, 1997, explained […]

KVIA-TV (ABC) In this largely Hispanic town on the Mexican border, the media partners opened a conversation on race, immigration and language with a series built around a poll of 1,008 residents in English and Spanish. The first step the partners took was to convene a panel of academic and civic leaders, who met almost […]

San Antonio’s Spanish-language television station made history in May 2001 by integrating viewers into its newscasts through Web cameras in their homes. The feature, “Teledirecto TV,” was incorporated into regular newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. to add the voice of ordinary citizens to those of experts and politicians on stories that impact the […]