I .xXFall 2000 CJIG prepares to contribute to AEJMC issues discussion Posting convention papers, rethinking panel selection process top list

By Kathy Campbell accomplishments in Phoenix and review CJIG head was recruiting and electing a slate of officers to help me keep Welcome to the 2000-2001 us organized and informed Civic Interest throughout the coming year. Group! Here they are: I’m going to confess imme- Vice heads: Sharon Iorio, diately that I love the sound of Wichita State University; Wally “2000-2001.” Somehow, it Dean, Pew Center for Civic makes me feel as though I’ve Journalism eral folks Kathy arrived somewhere important. Research chairs: Frank Fee, put their And it’s one of the many rea- University of North Carolina; minds to it. Keep in mind that sons I’m so delighted to be Renita Coleman, University of the 2001 Plenary Theme is chairing our group this year. We Missouri-Columbia “Bringing in the Outs: Toward are well-positioned to be an Newsletter/Web editors: Inclusivity and .” even more significant presence Charlyne Berens, University of Also keep in mind that the 2001 and a major contributor to an Nebraska-Lincoln; Brian convention is scheduled a little outstanding 2001 AEJMC con- Massey, University of differently: It runs Sunday vention in Washington, D.C., Connecticut through Wednesday, Aug. 5-8. next August. I can hardly wait to On special assignment: Pre- During the coming year, begin our planning for panels conference programming, Tanni we’ll be discussing some impor- and paper competitions-and to Haas, CUNY-Brooklyn; Denise tant issues and soliciting your see you all again. Richter, Palo Alto College ideas and opinions. Here’s a pre- In fact, schmoozing with, lis- One of our first assignments view: tening to and learning from is to put together panel propos- n AEJMC is discussing CJIG members as well as our als to take to Atlanta for the whether to consider Web post- academic and professional col- mid-winter conference. That’s ings of academic papers (includ- leagues was clearly the highlight the meeting when all the divi- ing personal Web pages and the of the Phoenix experience. We sions and interest groups sit AEIMC archives) as publica- had some wonderful and lively down together and figure out the tions, thus disqualifying them panel discussions, and I hope program for the next conven- from consideration for publica- you returned home with as tion. Elsewhere in this edition is tion in AEJMC journals. A year- many new ideas for research a story about how you can par- long discussion is anticipated, and teaching as I did. ticipate in the panel proposal Another. . or our excellent (continued on page 2) Page 2 Fall 2000 Civic Journalism Interest Group CJIG wants to hear about AEJMC issues (continued from page 1) including posting of the specific proposal and its rationale on a listserv. I will keep you updated on this, and as more information becomes available, I’11 be most interested in your reaction. I The membership of the Council of Divisions (made up of the chairs of the divisions and interest groups) is also trying to rethink how the panels and other sessions are scheduIed. The dis- cussion in Phoenix encompassed such concerns as attracting larger audiences, especially to panels featuring professionals; ensuring good attendance at research ses- sions: and worrying how annual reviews of division/interest group performance would be affected. Again, I would be delighted to hear our ideas on this. dCJIG has well over 100 members. Do we want to seek division status? Inquiring minds want to know. Tanni Haas of CUNY-Brooklyn is gathering the needed background information, and we hope to use our new Web site (coming soon to a URL near you) to open a discussion on this provocative idea. Below, you’ll find e-mail and snail mail addresses and phone numbers for all the officers. Please do keep in touch! Here’s how to get ahold of CJIG officers Kathy Campbell, president: campbeka 68588-0132 @sou.edu; (803) 7773316; Southern Oregon Brian Massey, Web editor: tblmassey@ University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, Ore. yahoocom; 850 Bolton Road, U-85, University of 97520-50 10 Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-1085 Sharon Iorio, co-vice chair: Sharon iorio@ Tanni Haas, pre-conference programming: elliott.es.twsu.edu; (316) 798-3100; Wichita State [email protected]; (718) 951 5225; University, 14530 Sharon Lane, Wichita, Kan. 67230 Department of Speech Communication Arts & Frank E Fee, co-vice chair: [email protected]; 9 19 Sciences, Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, 962 407 1; University of North Carolina, 211 Carroll Brooklyn, N.Y. 11210, Hall, Chapel Hill, NC. 27599 Denise Barkis Richter, pre-conference program- Charlyne Berens, newsletter editor: cberens@ ming: [email protected]; (2 10) 92 I-5442; Palo Alto unlserve.unl.edu; (402) 472-8241;University of College, 1400 W. Villaret Ave., San Antonio, Texas Nebraska-Lincoln, 110 Avery Hall, Lincoln, Neb. 78224 Civic Journalism Interest Group News Fall 2000 Page 3 Pew Center offers tools for better interviewing, reporting Journalists seeking to add to their report- ence the answers. See how one type of ques- ing tools will find help available from the tion can “shut down” an interview and anoth- Pew Center for Civic Journalism. “A er “open up” a conversation, ’s Toolbox,” a set of four short H Framing a Story: What’s It Really videos, is designed to help journalists and About? 13:21 minutes journalism students discover new stories and News is more than just conflict or contro- report them better. versy. Discover why stories that identify ten- The videos demonstrate techniques sions or patterns may be more accurate, more reporters can use to conduct more effective interesting and more engaging to readers and interviews, decide what a story is really viewers. about, find the voices that belong in a story I Finding Third Places: Other Voices, and use civic mapping to uncover important Different Stories 13:20 minutes’ community issues. Reporters who can find new sources often The Toolbox draws on the techniques and find new stories. Learn how third places can experiences of working journalists at The be used as entry points to acquire important Charlotte Observer, The Orange County community information and sources. Register, the Tampa Tribune, The Virginian- n Tapping Your Community: What Don’t Pilot and Tampa’s WFLA-TV. It builds on You Know‘? 1352 minutes the work of Richard Hat-wood, president of Journalists need to find out what they the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, don’t know to report better stories. See how who has served as a consultant for many news news organizations are improving coverage organizations and has conducted Civic by systematically tapping ordinary people Mapping Seminars for the Pew Center for who are knowledgeable about issues in their Civic Journahsm. community. For editors and educators, the Toolbox includes a discussion and activity guide to To order a copy of “A Journalist’s help prompt more conversation and practice Toolbox,” send $10 (checks only, please) to the skills. the Pew Center for Civic Journalism, 1101 n Interviewing: New Questions, Better Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 420, Washington, Stories, 14:17 minutes DC, 20036-4303. Ask for a receipt if you How a reporter asks questions can influ- need one. Civic bits Professor Jay Rosen of New Following is a brief excerpt don’t just “happen” the way York University and author of from Rosen’s final post on Sept. hailstorms do,’ Taylor writes. “What Are Journalists For?” 6, 2000. ‘They are artifacts of a political (Yale University Press, 1999) “My final thought is a brief universe journalism itself has was the featured guest author in gloss on a pair of sentences helped to construct.’ (From Paul September for an on-line forum written by Paul Taylor, former Taylor, “See How They Run,” hosted by Blue Ear Books. (The political reporter for the Knopf, 1990, p. 266.) forum’s archives should be Washington Post, who covered “I regard this statement as a) available by late September at many a presidential campaign demonstrably true, and b) the Blue Ear site, http:llwww. and then reflected about his uncontainable within the normal blueear.com/books/books.html.) experience. ‘Political stories Continued on page 6 Page 4 Fall 2000 Civic Journalism Interest Group News Civic journalism and the right side of the brain census of 29 that about the need for a different How photographers had received grants from the type of design, or simply and graphic designers Pew Center for Civic Journalism because they hadn’t really visually communicate in 1998 and 1999. It included thought about it much. papers from all circulation sizes Alternatively, such descrip- the principles of civic and regions of the country. tive responses could also repre- journalism Analysis followed the principles sent a kind of “working through of grounded theory that included to a solution,” to put it in By Renita, Coleman theoretical sampling, using the Yankelovich’s terms, to the Following is a synopsis of evidence of real life to constant- question of whether design and the paper Coleman presented at ly compare across cases to photography need to be different the AEJMC convention in uncover generalizable processes, for civic journalism, a kind of August 2000. and coding that arises from the thinking out loud. Their mus- Because civic journalism data. ings, which seem like ambiva- may be the most hotly debated lence, might really indicate ini- subject of the decade within the Findings tial attempts to work through the field of journalism, an enormous Practical question in their own minds. amount has been written about The discussion about civic These accounts may also be the subject. Yet nearly all the journalism in general can be interpreted as breaking the larger debate centers around the “ver- logically divided into two philosophical question down bal” with the “visual” - repre- aspects: the philosophical and into individual components. For sented by the work of graphic the practical. example, one journalist listed designers and photographers - The accounts from these public journalism’s goal of excluded from the conversation. visual journalists on questions of showing readers what something This study aims to address practice are detailed, on point, means to them and then this void by starting a conversa- and well developed, in contrast described how that was achieved tion among visual journalists with their responses to philo- visually. It seems journalists about their philosophy of civic sophical questions such as may be breaking the philosophi- journalism and techniques for whether design and photography cal discussion down into more design and photography that ful- for civic journalism should be manageable elements, fill the goals of civic journalism. different from traditional jour- There were clear and strong If the content of civic jour- nalism. “yes” answers as well as “no” nalism is different, and if design Some of the journalists inter- answers to the question of and photography are driven by viewed were confident and artic- whether civic journalism needed content, then should design and ulate about their philosophies, to be designed and pho- photography for civic journalism yet just as many were unsure, tographed differently from tradi- be different than design and appeared not to have thought tional journalism. photography for traditional jour- about the matter or seemed to Some of the journalists who nalism? How does this new avoid the question altogether. were emphatic that, no, civic approach to news affect the jobs Sometimes, rather than answer- journalism should not be of designers and photographers? ing the question directly, jour- designed and photographed dif- How does it affect the products nalists launched into a discus- ferently from traditional joumal- they create? Do they have con- sion of their ’s latest ism explained that civic joumal- cerns unique to their roles that civic journalism project and ism at their newspapers was have not been addressed so far? began describing the different never a separate entity from tra- elements they used. Other jour- ditional journalism. Some said Method nalists acknowledged civic jour- the rancorous debate over civic This study used in-depth nalism goals, such as reader journalism was behind that fact. interviews with 18 visual jour- response, connection and The integration of civic journal- nalists at newspapers across the involvement, then linked those ism into daily practice has been country that have experimented gods to visual elements. described by many experts as with civic journalism or practice I interpret this as ambiva- the signal that civic journalism it on a daily basis. The joumal- lence on the part of the joumal- Continued on page 5 ists interviewed were from the ists, whether they were unsure Civic Journalism Interest Group News Fall 2000 Page 5

Civic journalism and More comfort with techniques than philosophy Continued from page 4 more difficult. In fact, nearly all said: "You're not going to win has accomplished its mission, the visual journalists inter- any awards at but this type of integration has a viewed said the tendency for this kind of thing.” different flavor; it seems to be civic journalism stories to be For designers, one design bound up with denial that civic rather abstract created a problem element repeatedly emerged as a journalism principles and for photography. solution to presenting in-depth philosophies are behind some of Of course, conceptual, issue- and conceptual issues, as well as the ways things are now done in oriented stories are not unique a lot of information, in a visual- and driven more by to civic journalism, but it did ly pleasing, easy to understand a desire to avoid controversy in seem to be more of a pattern fashion: the grid. The full-page the newsroom. with civic journalism, they said. election grid by the Charlotte And nearly every journalist Observer is but one example. Practical issues interviewed talked at length Grids have also been used to Two main problems that about that factor as the main portray the issue of water supply seemed to plague the visual dis- problem with photographing and report cards for schools. play of civic journalism civic journalism stories. emerged as a pattern in these One problem that was men- Conclusions interviews. tioned in detail by only one Some of the architects of 4 Designers said civic jour- journalist but seemed to underlie civic journalism have called for nalism generated more “pieces” many of the comments was the more emphasis on the philoso- than traditional journalism, and idea that photography for civic phy and not so much on the it was a challenge to incorporate journalism was “not photojour- practice. From these interviews them all in a unified and aes- nalism.” This was particularly a with visual journalists, it would thetically pleasing fashion. problem with photographing the seem to be true that journalists . Photographers said the ten- town hall meetings, public have a good grasp of techniques dency for civic journalism sto- forums and community conver- for fulfilling civic journalism’s ries to be abstract and conceptu- sations that are one of the goals, but are less comfortable al made photographing them unique features of civic joumal- with philosophy. ism. For example, one journalist Page 6 Fall 2000 Civic Journalism interest Group News What’s coming? Will we be ready for it? Equipping journalists for the new communications era By Anders Gyllenhaal papers might end up as the the case, but many are still using Executive editor strongest piece of the mass media. traditional approaches. The News & Observer So here’s question number one: Digital archiving: One advance Raleigh, N.C. What are we going to do with this that flows out of news research is Excepts of keynote remarks at opportunity? digital archives, a vital reader ser- the Pew Center for Civic There’s no single answer vice, a possible revenue and Journalism luncheon, Aug. 9, at the because there’s much work to do. way to build online readership. AEJMC convention But I thought I’d talk about some When The News & Observer tinal- Today I thought I’d try to tell a of the places where journalism ly put in a good system on our couple of stories but mostly ask schools and newspapers -with online site, the impact on traffic questions. Not about every one of particular emphasis on newsrooms turned dramatic: 1.5 million page the many future issues we can see - should be doing a lot more views, 250,000 searches and coming at us (from convergence to experimentation to prepare for 159,000 articles downloaded since credibility to new media issues). what’s coming. the first of the year. But about this single piece of the Databases: It’s hard to overstate Push technology: E-mail offers puzzle that is how the news part of the vital role that databases are a powerful new way to communi- the struggles with tech- playing in the information busi- cate with readers and to deliver nology. ness. There are tremendous appli- news. Increasing numbers of places Let me start off with the good cations for the local newspaper, will send you e-mail news updates, news. An interesting thing has been which could be building useful, new developments on beats and or happening this past year: Despite searchable databases out of the topics you may he following. But all the doomsday predictions about reams of information we collect how many newspapers are taking our trade, the newspaper business every day on everything from cal- advantage of a technology to put is suddenly being recognized as endar items to school test scores to out updates to our readers and one of the strongest pieces of the taxes and money issues. You can potential readers? media. Have you noticed all the find a few papers that are working Mapping: New mapping soft- stories in the past month or so? on this. ware is a tremendous tool that “Newspapers are back in vogue,” But question number two: Why allows us to create a whole new read the headline of a Toronto The aren’t we rushing to figure out this explanatory element to our report- Globe and Mail story last week concept? Is the paper you read, or ing. From weather reports to devel- All of a sudden, forces that work for or send your best students opment to, now, the census infor- were working against us seem to be to really on top of this tool? mation, modem mapping provides in our favor. Our competition in the Public records: A lot of energy a whole new way of using this dot.com world has stumbled As on the Web is going into the collec- information. the media have splintered, newspa- tion, analysis and tracking of pub- Public discussion: The once pers are holding onto (or at least lic records, which used to be the clunky, hard-to-use news groups not losing as much of) our markets sole domain of newspapers as we have now evolved into a whole as our competitors. We’re also followed such things as crime assortment of chats, forums and beginning to show some progress reports, home sales, marriages, live interviews. We all watched with our online sites and the whole divorces, births, deaths. Many from the sidelines a few years ago concept of convergence, finding papers, mine included, spend hours when radio discovered the power ways of competing with Yahoo and feeding these records into prinf of raw conversation and turned it America Online. publishing listings and then letting into the medium of talk radio. But I also wonder if we aren' t final- them evaporate from the system. online forums, in the next genera- ly getting some credit for the News research: Nowhere has tion of this can let us put a smart, strong foundations that newspapers the change been more dramatic in off-the-news, newspaper stamp on have built over this past century, the past 10 years than in the poten- public discussions that can also be the depth of our reporting, the tial for news research. News imported in an edited form onto commitment to communities, the research ought to he the pumping, our news pages. principles we try to work under. electronic heart of newsrooms. You Finally, the biggest technology People are talking about how news- can find newspapers where this is Continued on page 7 Civic Journalism Interest Group News Fall 2000 Page 7 __-- Equipping journalists for the new communications era Continued from page 6 enough about journalism curricula horse,” meaning that person’s capa- challenge of all: How are we going to answer this thoroughly. I can tell ble. He’s worn his hair in the same to make the most of our online you that, judging from the appli- crewcut for decades and dresses sites? cants we see, journalism schools pretty much the same way as he did I list that last for two reasons. are not where you want to be. Since when he started in 1971. In other One is that there is already so much you’ re always training the next words, if you watched him across talk about our Web strategies, and, generation of journalists, technolo- the newsroom, you’d be unlikely to two, because so much of the rest of gy has to be at the center of jour- peg him as the answer to an awful these tit into making our online nalism education without taking lot of these questions we’ ve been sites the useful, interactive and away from such fundamentals as throwing around innovative sites they need to be to how to write well. I don’t believe But if you were to walk up and compete. This is one piece of our we can expect newspapers to pull sit down at Pat’s desk, the future of technological challenge that our off the kind of technical revamping our profession is on display. Pat industry is taking seriously. The that we need if newsrooms and taught himself how to use databas- publishers of two of the nation’s journalism programs aren’t work- es almost two decades ago. While best papers, The New York Times ing together on this. he claims he has absolutely no and The Washington Post, are Another question I started to knack for technology - again sort devoting themselves to wonder about is whether the role of like our business itself - Pat issues. You can find some impres- technology plays in newspapers has figured out more about the sive, imaginative sites that are com- doesn’t give journalism schools a computer languages of our govern- peting. But those are almost all at new opportunity that hasn’t existed ment offices than their own sys- the bigger papers, while so many of before. In the same way that med- tems folks, which is how he col- our newspaper sites have a kind of ical schools, science departments lects so much of their information cookie-cutter sameness that we’d and business schools lead their and strikes such a mixture of fear never accept in our newspapers. industries with applied research, and respect when he calls. So, to Why is it so hard for news- there’s more need than ever before me, Pat has come to symbolize rooms to use technology well? We for true research and development exactly how we prepare for the write and talk about it all the time. in journalism. How do we take future. What’s at the top of the list of these concepts and make them The funny thing is that Pat’s strategies of the Newspaper work in the newsroom? How do we story isn’t all that complicated. The Association of America? Invest in turu some of these commercial instant he saw the power of the technology. Why don’t we do more technologies into journalistic tools? computer in reporting, he decided to follow our own advice? What newsrooms are thirsting to do whatever it took to master First off, it’s hard to manage. for right now are solutions for how this technology - and he eventual- Not enough newsrooms have their to deal with this whole e-mail ques- ly became a leader in the field and own staffs devoted to programming tion, or a better approach to public won a Pulitzer prize for his project and database work, so we rely on records, or how about an online on the hog industry in North the same computer departments weather package that will help Carolina. He hasn’t thrown out the that are keeping our company sys- newspapers compete with TV? old ways for the new; instead he tems going. Finally, all of this takes With so much need for training, combines the two. Pat’s reasoning training, and while newspapers why aren’t more journalism schools on technology has always been have started to put more emphasis providing continuing education in pretty simple: “If I don’t do it, on training, it’s still mostly an technology for newspaper staff? somebody else will - and that’s afterthought. These are all good That’s probably enough ques- going to hurt me.” Which is exactly excuses, but how different are they tions for one lunch. how newspapers and journalism than what every other industry in Let me end with one other story schools need to look at it. the information business is facing? from my paper. It’s about a reporter This is what’s coming. We can The second part of this question who has been on our staff for 29 either struggle endlessly to catch is how well are journalism schools years. His name is Pat Stith and up, which isn’t working, or do what doing in training students for the he’s given to sayings like, “That’s it takes to lead the way. mix of traditional and technology no hill for a climber,” meaning it skills that are needed? I don’t know can be done, or, “He’s a real Page Fallall 2OOU Civic Journalism Interest Group News

More civic bits Continued from page 3 lem-solving journalism. There is Society of Professionals in categories and received wisdom no Pulitzer for reporting on race, Dispute Resolution, “Opening of the press we have in the although there is one for some- the Way to a Civil Society: United States. The mind of the thing called ‘feature writing.’ If Creating a Culture of Com- American journalist contains we try to understand why this is, munity and Dialogue,” also fea- almost no instructions for how no bottom line explanation will tured a civic journalism compo- the political universe is to be help us. Nor will appeals to nent. Workshop leaders were ‘constructed’ by news accounts truth, accuracy, fairness and Kathy Campbell, Southern that are also meant to narrate objectivity. _ _ . Like news sto- Oregon University; Marcia and describe it. Almost nothing ries, prizes don’t just ‘happen’ Caton Campbell, University of that is learned in journalism the way hailstorms do. They are Wisconsin-Madison and Richard schools helps, either. The artifacts of a world created by Reuben, University of Missouri- debates that typically go on journalism, where images of Columbia. The conference was about press performance cannot excellence and heroism are Sept. 14-16 in Albuquerque. sustain a debate about how well crafted by the craft itself.” this universe works for us. Rather, the talk usually centers Associations feature CIVIC JOURNALISM around ‘bias,’ accuracy, fairness civic journalism panels INTEREST GROUP NEWS and, yes, objectivity, all of The American Journalism is published by the Civic which deny Taylor’s insight: Historians Association will fea- Journalism Interest Group of the that constructing the world for ture a panel on civic journalism Association for Education in us, by telling us about it, is what at its 19th annual convention in Journalism and Mass journalists inevitably and nor- Pittsburgh on Oct. 4-7. The Communication. Membership in mally do. panel, “The Prehistory of Public the interest group includes sub- “ . . . The Pulitizer Prizes Journalism,” will be moderated scription to this newsletter have enormous influence on the by John P Fe&, Louisville, and which is published two to four journalism that is done and hon- includes David Copeland, times a year. Non-members can ored in American newspapers. Emory & Henry College; receive the newsletter by sending (If you don’t believe me, ask Stephen Ponder, University of a $10 donation to the Civic any experienced editor.) But Oregon; Patrick Washburn, Ohio Journalism Interest Group at there is no Pulitzer for self-cri- University; and Pat Dooley, AEJMC, 234 Outlet Pointe Wichita State. tique or self-improvement. Blvd., Suite A, Columbia, SC There is no Pulitzer for prob- The annual conference of the

AEJMC Civic Journalism Interest Group c/o Charlyne Berens College of Journalism and Mass Communications University of Nebraska 110 Avery Hall Lincoln, NE 68508-0132