Civic Catalyst: Summer 1998

Three Winners Share Batten Award
The diversity of approaches to civic journalism is again apparent in this year's Batten Award winners: the Asbury Park Press, The Baltimore Sun and a coalition of Idaho news organizations.

Cracking the Spiral of Silence, Empowering People
Frank Denton of the Wisconsin State Journal puts a new perspective on framing at a panel discussion at the 1998 Batten Symposium in Chicago May 12.

What's Happening in Pew Projects
A quick look at the 1998 Pew Center-sponsored projects.

New Newsroom Role: Community Coordinator
The Portland Press Herald takes its commitment to civic journalism to a new level: it became one of the first newspapers in the country to hire a full-time Community Coordinator. Coordinator Jessica Tomlinson talks about connecting to readers, organizing town meetings and the benefits of having a community coordinator in the newsroom.

Civic Journalism: Proof It Works
Does covering a statewide consitutional convention referendum sound boring? Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle, WOKR-TV and WXXI-TV take a civic approach to the referendum and see startling results in the voting booth.

Out of the Pressboxes; Onto the Field -- Again
North Carolina's "Your Voice, Your Vote" partnership is back and better than ever in 1998 with 14 print and broadcast organizations contributing to some joint coverage of this year's US Senate race.

Getting the Public Back into Public Hearings
"Something to Talk About" debuted in The Wichita Eagle's local news pages in May as a way to engage citizens in public hearings

Austin Draws Broadcast Journalists
The Pew Center and RTNDF co-sponsor their first joint all-broadcast civic journalism workshop in Austin, TX, in June. The weekend event drew more than 50 broadcast journalists.