February 09, 2010
If news orgs & journos won’t provide local civic news, who else could?
As I read through the Knight Commission report, “Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age,” I was struck by how little it had to say about how professional journalists and mainstream news organizations fit into the future of civic media. That’s why I’ve been writing this series of articles—to help flesh out that angle. But I must stop and ponder: Might local civic media be best handled outside of the journalism world?
Which begs the question: Are mainstream news orgs and journos really serious about their civic mission? Do their actions, rather then their words, truly demonstrate that they are equipped, motivated, or even interested in building healthier communities?
“Whether mainstream media have noticed or are interested in the Knight Commission’s ‘Informing Communities’ report is an interesting question,” said Peter M. Shane, executive director of the Knight Commission and a chair at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, in a recent e-mail interview. “My Ohio State colleagues took the initiative last November to convene a community conversation to discuss the implications of the report for Columbus. They could not get a single mainstream media news outlet (print or broadcast) to participate—although public and alternative media were well represented…”
By Amy Gahran
(This is part of a series of guest posts by Amy Gahran. Amy is looking how news organizations and other institutions can implement the findings of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, This joint project of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Aspen Institute Communications and Society program produced the report, “Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age.” See all posts in this series.)
According to Shane, “The Knight Commissioners doubted the utility—or even plausibility—of trying to propose the business model that would work to support useful local journalism. If there was consensus in this area, the Commissioners mostly gravitated towards the view that smart entrepreneurs using new tools would successfully analyze market incentives to create supportable new arrangements. Speaking entirely for myself, I would say that (a) this sentiment is accurate, but (b) not entirely the point. There will undoubtedly be supportable [local] journalistic arrangements going forward; the question is whether they will leave communities better or worse off than they are now. I am frankly skeptical whether market mechanisms alone will provide the economic support necessary to create the local news and information flow that communities need.”
So: If news organizations and professional journalists might not play a leading role in the future of media that supports healthy local communities, then who might take that on—and do it well?
In his remarks at the Nov. 22, 2009 Informing Ohio Communities symposium, Shane envisions an intriguing option:
“What would it be like to organize an entire college or university education around the idea of journalism? I am not talking here about what we think of as vocational journalism education. The idea is not to make everyone a professional editor or reporter. I am talking, instead, about conceiving an entire program of liberal education that takes as its central theme the idea that the new media phenomenon is potentially making everyone a journalist. Thus, for both students and faculty, it is critical to analyze, and to practice meeting, the challenge of arriving at truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent accounts of a day’s local community events in a context which gives them meaning.”
I’ve long believed that basic journalism training would benefit everyone, and that journalistic assignments could start as early as elementary school. Shane points out that his vision of journalism-centered higher education could help solve three major social problems:
- The shortfall in local news production around the country.
- The well-documented deficiency in college student writing.
- Low civic literacy: Americans’ generally poor knowledge about how social institutions work, and who makes the policy decisions that affect their lives.
Shane also observed that involving students in local journalism “wins the educational trifecta”:
- Students would tackle meaningful and intellectually challenging issues.
- Students enjoy dealing with such issues.
- Students would develop marketable skills while also learning to function effectively as citizens.
This approach could extend beyond liberal arts education. Shane notes, “Business schools can help teach marketing to online entrepreneurs. Law schools can help local media outlets to pursue Freedom of Information requests and defend against libel suits.” Also, “Community colleges may have a strong comparative advantage” over big colleges and universities.
ACTION STEPS
If you work for or with an educational institution, consider how reframing your curriculum through the lens of local civic-minded journalism might benefit your students, faculty, community, and school. Float the idea in meetings and internal communications. To spur public discussion, blog about it or submit op-ed pieces to local news organizations. Consider ways to share students’ local civic journalism with the community.
If you work for a mainstream news organization or are a professional journalist, assess how much local civic journalism your news org has really been doing lately. Talk to staff and management: How important is local civic news and engagement to the news org? Consider their responses, and also consider that actions speak louder than words. Discuss this issue with faculty and administrators of local educational institutions. Might your news org, or local journalists, be able to partner with a school to get more local civic journalism done?
Also, read Shane’s full remarks from Informing Ohio Communities:
Informing Ohio Communities Remarks
Comments
Thanks for the great post, Amy.
I wanted to respond to your question:
“If news organizations and professional journalists might not play a leading role in the future of media that supports healthy local communities, then who might take that on—and do it well?”
As the Knight Commission report suggests, noncommercial community media organizations in cities and towns across the U.S. serve the information needs of communities everyday in the form of Public, Educational and Government Access Television. In addition, many PEG access, or community media, centers have launched citizen journalism projects to connect residents to local information, media production/journalism training opportunities and other vital community communication services.
For example, here at Cambridge Community Television in Cambridge, MA, I manage a citizen journalism program, NeighborMedia which originally launched with funding from J-Lab. NeighborMedia.org is our digital community network for residents, nonprofits, city departments and agencies in Cambridge to share news and information and provide ways for people to participate in civic life.
NeighborMedia.org is both an online portal to engage residents in our communities’ civic life, and it is also an opportunity for residents to become citizen journalists and promote local engagement in local policy discussions.
NeighborMedia is just one of several citizen journalism efforts connected to community media centers across the U.S. The Rapidian in Grand Rapids (MI), Berks Community Television (PA), Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (MN) and others are extending their community media mission into online citizen journalism spaces to connect residents and build local community through media.
I believe the recommendations in the Knight Commission’s Report highlight the role that community media & technology centers, like Cambridge Community Television, can play in leading the future of media in supporting heathy local communities. There are also opportunities for community media centers to partner with local high schools and colleges to develop civic media training.
I’d like to see a national discussion take place about (1) the role of community media in supporting healthy communities and (2) how local, state and national policymakers can provide support for these vital community communication services into the future.
By Colin Rhinesmith, 02/10/10 at 3:08 pm
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