Civic Catalyst: Summer 1997

Three Newspapers Split 1997 Batten Award
Once again, three dailies share the annual James K. Batten award. The Peoria Journal Star, the Bradenton Herald and teh Rochester Democrat and Chronicle are honored for three diverse and innovative projects.

Public Journalism Can't Do It All
The "Campaign Central" experience: in-depth issues coverage fails to counter multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign.

Covering Charlotte's Cultural Wars
When "Angels in America" came to Charlotte, The Observer struggled to find a civic approach to covering the community turmoil. Government Editor Chuck Clark reports on the surprising citizen viewpoints and the ways the paper reported on them.

Journalism: Broken, Unmoored From A Higher Calling
Ervin Duggan, President of the Public Broadcasting Service, advocates bold experimentation in his 1997 Batten Symposium keynote address.

The Challenge Is To Reclaim Our Moral Authority and Ask: How Do We Know What We Know?
Cole Campbell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks about embracing new challenges and changing the way we think about news at the Batten Symposium on May 14.

We Need to Do It or They'll Do It Themselves
Who's a journalist in the digital age? The Bergen Record's Glenn Ritt discusses the paper's efforts to connect with community groups through traditional media and on-line at the Batten Symposium.

What's New With Pew Center Projects
An update on projects, from the Maine Citizens' Campaign to Myrtle Beach's "Living in a Boom Town."

The Public Agenda: Tallahassee, FL
Over the three years of this joint project of The Tallahassee Democrat and WCTV, over 1,000 people were involved in 15 discussion groups that met regularly to discuss a wide range of community issues such as crime and race relations. The partners commissioned survey research to measure the impact of the project.

Is Privatizing Tampa General Hospital Good for our Community?
The Weekly Planet in Tampa Bay frames a complicated issue in their community in a new way, exploring the consequences and options of privatizing a local public hospital.

ASNE Survey: Support for Civic Journalism Techniques
A surprising number of editors surveyed by ASNE show some level of support for civic journalism values and/or tools, according to a report released in April.

Media, Values, Moguls
Jennie Buckner, James Fallows, Daniel Okrent and Mario Cuomo discuss the state of modern journalism: excerpts from a symposium April 16 in New York City sponsored by the Pew Center with Atlantic Monthly.

Needed: The Courage to be Different
Rebecca Rimel, President of The Pew Charitable Trusts, shares words of inspiration and encouragement with attendees of the Batten Awards on May 14.

Congratulations
KCTS wins a civic journalism award from the Central Education Network for its part of the "Front Porch Forum" series entitled "Listening to Washington."