Civic Catalyst: Fall 1999

Boston University to Host Batten 2000 Awards
"Civic Journalism: The Public, the Media and the Campaign" will be the topic of the 2000 Batten Awards and Symposium, to be held in Boston in April, 2000.

What Makes a School Good? What Makes a School Story Good?
Highlights from the Education Writer's Colloquium sponsored by the Pew Center and the Kettering Foundation at the University of Maryland.

What's Happening in Pew Projects
An update on the progress of the Pew Center's 1999 projects.

A Soapbox for the Common Person & Tell Us What You are Thinking
A look at how video-box technology is changing the way some news organizations gather story ideas and opinions from ordinary people. By Pat Ford.

Civic Journalism: Savior of Newspapers in the 21st Century?
Chris Peck, editor of the Spokesman-Review, proposes a future game plan for newspapers and outlines how he believes civic journalism will be a key to industry survival in the 21st century.

TV: Building Innovative Election Coverage for 2000
Wisconsin Public Television's Dave Iverson introduces the cutting-edge mission of Best Practices 2000, a collaborative effort focused on innovative approaches to election coverage in 2000.

Transforming Journalism Today, Reinventing it for Tomorrow
Pew Center Director Jan Schaffer looks at the evolution of civic journalism and the Pew Center's key role as an R&D center for innovations in news content.

Philadelphia Inquirer Gives Voters a Voice and WPVI-TV Gets a Debate Ratings Hit
"Citizen Voices" was a way for The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board to write about the 1999 mayor's race from the voters' point of view. By Pat Ford.

Using the Web to Build Citizens - and Audience
New Hampshire Public Radio's On-Line Tax Calculator brought a large online audience to the station's Web site during daytime hours when its radio listener numbers are down. By Jon Greenburg.