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CIVIC Journalism AEJMC JournalismCIVIC IINTEREST N T E R E S T GROUP G R O U NEWS P N E W S SPRING 2003 Is civic journalism dead? THE SCHEDULE Kansas City, here we come! CJIG’s programming plans came together without a hitch during the Judging by activities, no mid-winter conference in Palo Alto. By Cheryl Gibbs Before the convention, we will hold The result is a schedule of activities Head of CJIG a workshop at which we hope to draw spread neatly throughout the confer- ence, kicking off with a pre-confer- The subject line of her e-mail said, together journalists, researchers and ence session and ending on a high simply, “One question.” educators from throughout the country. note with our research session on “Is civic journalism dead in the Our goal is to think together about Saturday. U.S.?” Ana Maria Miralles wrote in what’s been done so far and to discuss Right in the middle is our mem- August. how we can continue to explore the bership meeting, set for 6:45 p.m. Having invested important ideas and techniques that Thursday, July 31. (A quick digres- countless hours in both have changed the way countless jour- sion to brag a bit! At CJIG’s sugges- teaching and coordi- nalists do their jobs. tion, the former “business meetings” nating public journal- Researchers also are encouraged to have been renamed “membership ism in her home coun- enter papers in the competition that meetings” to better reflect what try of Colombia, she will result in the best papers about they’re all about. Cool, huh?) was concerned that civic/public journalism being selected It’s important for our members to something had gone for presentation at the convention. Cheryl Gibbs support these panels and the presen- wrong. In addition to these future events, ters by coming to listen and talk. It She had heard foundation support here are some additional developments would be wonderful if every mem- for the great experiment that people since we updated members of this ber would commit right now to still struggle to name—public or group in our last newsletter: attending at least three of our ses- civic?—was coming to an end and •At the AEJMC convention in sions—and bringing a friend to each some speculated it had run its course. August, members of this interest group one! For CJIG to stay relevant and Did that mean the experiment had reaffirmed their sense of purpose and intellectually provocative, we need failed? collective desire to continue. For more new ideas, new members and new In late January, Miralles’ fears no on this, please visit our Web site: energy. Let’s start in Kansas City by doubt were assuaged as she joined 23 http://www.has.vcu.edu/civic-journal- “Making New Connections”! other journalists and educators from ism/. •The Pew Center for Civic Journal- four continents at Kennesaw State Uni- See schedule, Page 3 versity near Atlanta as they met to cre- ism’s grant was extended and the cen- ate the Public Journalism Network. ter is now slated to close in May. It relo- That meeting was one of many sig- cated in November to the University of nificant signs of life in civic/public jour- Maryland, where it shares space with a nalism — with more to come, as this successor project called J-LAB, The and articles in this newsletter attest. Institute for Interactive Journalism. For This summer, for example, this more on this, see http://www.pewcen- interest group will sponsor several ter.org and www.j-lab.org. thought-provoking panel discussions •The Pew Center’s archives will and research paper presentations about have a permanent home with The Wis- public/civic journalism at the AEJMC consin Historical Society at the Univer- convention in August. Continued on Page 3 Page 2 • Spring 2003 • Civic Journalism Interest Group News Pew’s new address: 7100 Baltimore change, “to invent new ways to make What’s up at Pew? Ave., Suite 101, College Park, Md. 20740. the public’s important business riveting- The Pew Center for Civic Journalism Phone: 301-985-4020. E-mail Jan Schaffer ly interesting—and much more difficult was given an eight-month extension on at [email protected] or [email protected]. to ignore.” its grant to continue its work archiving “We need a fresh journalistic mindset its collection of civic journalism projects, Last chance: Pew publications rooted in the best of our past but preparing a final report and on other There is a dwindling supply of Pew shrewdly and tough-mindedly in touch outreach. The center is now scheduled to Center publications and training videos with the realities awaiting us,” said the sunset May 31. available for journalists and educators. late James K. Batten, as chairman and The center continues to address a While all the publications are available CEO of Knight Ridder Inc. in a seminal strong interest in civic journalism from online at www.pewcenter.org, hard 1989 speech at the University of Califor- newsrooms, civic groups and journalism copies may be obtained, as long as sup- nia, Riverside. schools, and responds to steady streams plies last, by filling out the order form at To honor Batten and his vision for of e-mails, speaking requests, writing http://www.pewcenter.org/doingcj/pu the future of journalism, the John S. and requests and requests for training mater- bs/orderpubs.html. James L. Knight Foundation in 2003 ial. Donations for mailing apply. established the Batten Awards for Inno- Its popular website, www.pewcen- vations in Journalism. ter.org, is updated with all its training Attention, researchers The awards program spotlights material. By May, updates also will be emerging models of journalism that The Pew Center has collected more posted on the 120 projects the center has most creatively use technologies to than 750 newspaper civic journalism funded since 1993. engage and educate citizens about projects over the last decade and more The Center has moved to College important public issues in compelling than 200 broadcast projects. These Park, Md., where it shares space with a new ways. include funded projects, entries for the successor project, J-Lab: The Institute for The Batten Awards for Innovations in Batten Awards for Excellence in Civic Interactive Journalism, a center of the Journalism is the successor to the Batten Journalism and projects spotlighted in University of Maryland’s College of Awards for Excellence in Civic Journal- the Civic Catalyst newsletter or on the Journalism. ism, funded by The Pew Charitable center’s website. J-Lab will build on the trail of inter- Trusts from 1995 through 2002. These All these projects—including self- activity blazed by civic journalists who awards honored innovative journalism reports of the supervising editors and pioneered the use of town hall meetings that supported people’s involvement in formal narrative reports of funded pro- and focus group in reporting projects. J- the life of their community. jects—will be available to researchers by Lab will help news organizations use The Batten Awards for Innovations in year’s end under funding from the Pew new technologies to help people actively Journalism were created to honor excel- Center to the Wisconsin Historical Soci- engage in critical public issues. See lent journalism that is more than multi- ety, at the University of Wisconsin-Madi- www.j-lab.org. media journalism. It specifically seeks to son. The society houses the nation’s J-Flash email updates will continue reward journalism that uses new tech- largest mass communications history to be sent. To subscribe, e-mail nologies in innovative ways to involve collection. Grant reports and narrative [email protected]. citizens actively in public choices by reports on the Pew Center itself also will showing as well as telling, by providing be available. new entry points that stir their imagina- Send news, essays Professor Lew Friedland’s Center for tion and invite participation. Honored Communication and Democracy at U- will be novel approaches to journalism and teaching tips Wisconsin will archive the Pew Center’s that spur non-traditional interactions If you have a civic journalism Web sites, www.pewcenter.org and and have an impact on a community. event to publicize, teaching tips to www.civicjournalism.org. The center The awards program provides for a share, or a short essay about civic jour- also has custody of the archives of the $10,000 grand-prize winner and two nalism you’d like to see published, Knight Foundation’s Project on Public $2,500 runners-up. It is open to print, this is a good place to do it. Life and the Press, making Madison a online, television and radio journalism Articles should be 500 words or one-stop shop for future civic journalism efforts originating between Jan. 1, 2002, less, written in journalistic (not acade- researchers. mic) style. and April 30, 2003. Send to Cheryl Gibbs, Earlham The new Batten Awards for Innova- New: The Batten Awards tions in Journalism will be administered College, via e-mail: chergibbs@ for Innovations in Journalism aol.com, or Les Anderson, Wichita by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Deadline: June 12, 2003 State University, les.anderson@ Journalism. For more information, visit Well before the current interest in esc.wichita.edu. If you have questions, www.j-lab.org. civic journalism, one journalist began phone Gibbs at (765) 983-1506. —Jan Schaffer talking about how the media needed to Civic Journalism Interest Group News • Spring 2003 • Page 3 THE SCHEDU LE TUESDAY, JULY 29 WEDNESDAY FRIDAY, AUG.
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