Civic Journalism: Six Case Studies
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
"The Public Agenda"

Recruiting Partners

General Manager Dave Olmsted instantly bought into the idea. "It's a rare opportunity when you can be associated with a cause that affects the entire community," Olmsted said. "This belongs to the community. All we do is facilitate the dialogue."

Olmsted also saw a practical side. "It puts your newsroom in touch with the issues."

Mike Smith oversees WCTV6's news and production departments; he is responsible for making "The Public Agenda" happen at the station. "I was a little skeptical when Lou and I started talking. I was concerned about the kind of power we had. I didn't want us to dictate the public agenda."

Smith committed to the project once he was convinced the idea was for the public -- not the power brokers or the press -- to set the agenda. He had other concerns, too: "I didn't want us to go into this thing thinking it was going to end or stop. At some point, it will just be a way of thinking and I don't think people will have to think about doing it."

As part of the proposal, WCTV6 pledged to use the station's news and public affairs resources to showcase "The Public Agenda." The station would produce and air at least four town hall meetings during the two-year public phase of the project; each would be preceded by a series of reports on WCTV6 and in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Pew accepted the proposal for a three-year project. The funding covered research, "The Public Agenda" staff salaries and some administrative and outreach expenses. The newsrooms would foot their bills for coverage.

Recruiting other partners came next. The natural ally in a college town is the university and Tallahassee has two: Florida State University (FSU) and Florida A&M University (FAMU). Heldman held a meeting with various people in the community, including the presidents of the universities. "You've got to get people to learn what you're doing and hopefully you'll get a buy-in. That's critical to anything you try to do," Heldman said.

Both universities signed on as partners. FSU's Center for Professional Development & Public Service offered meeting space, office space and part of the salary for a community coordinator, plus graphic design services for brochures and the logo. FAMU's School of Journalism, Media and Graphic Arts contributed a survey conducted by students and led by faculty. Faculty members from both schools serve as moderators at the community dialogues.

Hiring began with the project director, Mimi Jones, a past president of the Florida League of Women Voters. Jones' open personality and experience working with non-profit organizations made her a good match for the new project.

Marti Johnson, a powerhouse with wide connections in the community, was hired as community coordinator with direct responsibility for outreach. A part-time program assistant also was hired.

Many administrative problems might have been avoided at the start if all the project's staff were housed in the same office. Jones worked out of her home, while Johnson and the program assistant shared the equivalent of a walk-in closet at FSU. In early 1995, operations were consolidated in an office leased from the League of Women Voters.

Matters were further complicated because Johnson's employment status called for her to work for the Center for Professional Development a quarter of the time and for "The Public Agenda" the rest. The situation led to tension. That arrangement ended in early 1995 when Johnson resigned and the project decided to split her job between two part-time coordinators.

Splitting the job between two coordinators allowed "The Public Agenda" to have a representative present when more than one small discussion group scheduled a meeting on the same night, Heldman said. "We found that [having a "Public Agenda" coordinator present] is a source of comfort to the people in the groups because . . . they like having a lifeline to the project."

Mimi Jones said she thought it was wise that the project was designed from the very start to operate outside the Democrat -- not only because it gave the initiative some independence, but also because it helped avoid any conflicts for the media partners.

"I think it's good that we are not technically part of the Democrat," Jones said. "It was protection for the newspaper, should I goof or if the groups should goof."