Civic Catalyst: Spring 2001

West Virginia Partners Split Top Batten Award
The 2001 Batten Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism goes to the Huntington Herald-Dispatch and West Virginia Public Broadcasting for "West Virginia After Coal," a project that examined the effects of a declining coal industry on communities and the use of coal severance taxes. The Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, MA, and the Chronicle-Tribune of Marion, IN, were named runners-up while five other organizations garnered honorable mentions.

Civic Journalism: The Public "Gets" It
Jan Schaffer, executive director of the Pew Center, describes the changing face of civic journalism -- new tools and techniques that remain true to old values.

Mapping Reflects Real Life, Real People
Assistant Metro Editor Kamrhan Farwell of The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, CA, reflects on how a civic mapping project at the paper generated relevant and authentic stories on critical community issues.

What's Happening in Pew Projects
Updates on 12 initiatives funded by the Pew Center that tackle tough issues, including education, growth, and development, medical ethics and living with cancer.

How to Reach Diverse Communities
Don Heider, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Texas-Austin and author of "White News, Why Local News Programs Don't Cover People of Color," examines the dearth of diverse community coverage in news and offers pointers to remedy the problem.

Batten Award Winners: How They Did It
The news organizations that won top honors at the 2001 Batten Symposium explain the visions that guided their projects and the resulting changes in their communities.

Reid Ashe Calls for Raising Value of News
In his keynote address at the 2001 Batten Symposium, The Tampa Tribune's Publisher, Reid Ashe, discusses the importance of preserving the fundamentals of civic journalism in the face of the many challenges in journalism today.

Cutting-Edge Links for 10 Town Halls
West Virginia Public Broadcasting and The Herald-Dispatch use new technology known as VBricks to convene an interactive statewide forum and explore unprecedented opportunities to connect with far-flung communities.

Record Numbers Attend First Quarter Civic Journalism Conferences
The Pew Center's first four conferences of 2001 are an unqualified success. Catalyst category: Pew Updates

E-Mail Extends Reporters' Reach
Ken Sands, interactive editor at the Spokesman-Review, explains how the compilation of an e-mail contact list allows reporters to crack difficult stories and include community perspectives.