Civic Catalyst: Spring 2002

Gaming the News: Building New Entry Points
News organizations are using fun and innovative Web capabilities to engage their audiences in interacting with information. By Pat Ford.

New Hunter-Gatherers Assemble the News
Through new models of interactive journalism, the public is moving from passive news consumers to active co-authors of their own stories. By Jan Schaffer.

WashPost Haiku: Micro Moments
Short autobiographical vignettes allow readers to tell their own stories and share powerful unfiltered moments in their lives. By Joyce Gemperlein.

Blogs: Sports Fans Play Web Journalists
The Spokesman-Review created an online zone that connected sports fans through a constantly updated interactive Web log. By Ken Sands.

E-Letters: Homeroom@pioneeerpress.com
St. Paul Pioneer Press Education Reporter Paul Tosto connects with "school news junkies" through an e-letter where readers can find additional information, links, meeting dates and a feature called "Why I wrote that." By Joyce Gemperlein.

Anchoring the People in TV News Coverage of the Political Campaigns
Dave Iverson of Best Practices in Journalism rounds up examples of innovative ideas television stations and partnerships will use to cover upcoming elections.

Civic TV Seeks Citizen Input
Civic Journalism is giving committed TV newsrooms tools to connect to their communities despite tough economic times. By Deb Halpern Wenger.

NYcitizens.org: Redistricting 2002 Game
WXXI Public Broadcasting is using an online role-playing game on redistricting to engage the citizens and schools in a complicated political process. By Elissa Marra.

We Know What They Want
San Jose Mercury News Editor David Yarnold speaks at the Pew/Maynard workshop "Community Media Connections" January 11 in San Francisco.

What's Happening in Pew Projects
An update on the progress of the Pew Center's 2002 projects.

A Rush to Close Public Information
Orlando Sentinel Editor Tim Franklin addressed participants at the Pew/IRE Workshop "Tapping New Data Territories" February 23 in Tampa.