Civic Catalyst: Spring 1999

The Examiner Maps the Remaking of The New City
Managing Editor Sharon Rosenhause shares how her newsroom explored the demographic changes that are turning San Francisco into a "New City."

Reaching Out to Readers: They Do Notice
The efforts of the Orange County Register to create more relevant and useful journalism have been noticed by readers. Ombudsman Dennis Foley reports.

Beyond the Ballot in Maine
Portland Press Herald AME Eric Conrad tells how the issues on the minds of Maine citizens in the 1998 gubernatorial elections turned into the "Beyond the Ballot" guidebook

The L.A. Times Crusades to Make a Difference
The L.A. Times looked at the problem of literacy and asked, "What can we do?" Pat Ford examines how the paper is customizing the Baltimore Sun’s "Reading by 9" initiative.

Civic Journalism: Moving into New Frontiers
Pew Center Executive Director Jan Schaffer takes a look at where civic journalism is headed as we move into 1999.

"Rethinking Philadelphia" Draws City into a Dialogue
The Philadelphia Daily News, the tabloid with an attitude, takes a hard look at Philadelphia’s future and creates a dialogue with both readers and public officials about what they can do. By Pat Ford.

Research: Civic Journalism Reflects Old and New Traditions
Pew Center advisory board member Jim Doyle recaps academic research on civic journalism presented at an October 1998 forum at the University of South Carolina.

What’s Happening in Pew Center Projects
From New Hampshire to Georgia, New York to California, the Pew Center’s 1999 projects are going full speed ahead. A quarterly update.

Five Newspapers, One TV Station Inaugurate Harwood Civic Mapping Seminars
Representatives of six media organizations were selected to take part in the first Harwood Civic Mapping Seminars to learn better ways to probe the complex layers of their communities.

Calculating a Colorado Give Back
The Gazette in Colorado Springs uses its web site to give voters a voice in how a $3.1 billion surplus should be spent in the state.

N.H. Residents Compute Tax Plans
New Hampshire Public Radio gets creatively interactive on-line with a tax calculator designed to show citizens the impact of tax reform proposals on their lives, Pew Center Associate Director Walter Dean reports.