The Public Journalism Effort

Some news organizations have decided that more must be done. They are trying to change the basic journalism culture, converting cynicism into civic exploration. The Wichita Eagle and Charlotte Observer have been on the cutting edge of this more systematic change, drawing diverse citizens into public discussions about community life. This new approach, called "public" or "civic" journalism, covers the news from the citizen up, not from the expert down. It takes ordinary people seriously, addressing some of the issues they think are important, instead of relying solely on experts and insiders to set the agenda. Because it permits diverse viewpoints to be heard and respected, regardless of their dramatic value, it seems to go a long way toward breaking down the strategy, negativity, and insider barriers that now distance audiences from the news.

At the Charlotte Observer in 1993, for example, editors learned of police concerns that a race riot was brewing. White families who lived around the downtown Freedom Park were unhappy because minority youths were drag racing and cruising in and out of the park at night, creating disturbances. When the park was closed because of the tension, black citizens were outraged, claiming that the park belonged to everyone and minority youths had nowhere else to go.

Many local news organizations would see this as a great story, full of controversy and drama. However, instead of inflaming the situation by deliberately seeking the most incendiary quotes from polarized sides, the newspaper tried something different. It had experimented with public journalism during the 1992 election, convening town hall meetings and roaming throughout the community to obtain citizens' views. Using the same approach, Observer reporters sought thoughtful suggestions from all sides, including people in area neighborhoods, the youths whose behavior was under question, and the white families. A range of suggestions was published on the op-ed page, where these diverse views were presented with respect and authority. Citizens formed a commission to develop solutions for all sides: a small entry fee that would cut down on the cruising and an alternative site for drag racing. Although the situation hasn't been completely resolved yet, a racial standoff was averted through civic discourse. The Charlotte Observer helped the community begin to work through its problems, instead of aggravating them with sensationalized coverage.

Many public journalism projects involve partnerships among news organizations that normally compete with each other. For example, in summer 1994, the Charlotte Observer teamed up with competitors WSOC-TV, the local ABC affiliate, and two local radio stations, WPEG and WBAV, on the project "Taking Back our Neighbor-hoods/Carolina Crime Solutions." After using crime statistics to identify five neighborhoods that had been especially hard-hit, the news organizations held joint town hall meetings and produced special supplements and broadcasts, featuring residents' proposed solutions and reporting "success stories" about citizens fighting crime.

The effort prompted a burst of civic activity: about 500 people volunteered to help out in targeted neighborhoods, 18 law firms offered to file pro bono public nuisance suits to close down crack houses, and a local bank donated $50,000 to build a recreation center, according to Ed Fouhy, a former network news executive who now heads a center devoted to promoting civic journalism. ^{Editors and reporters from the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, at a recent seminar described how they have become "public journalists" by changing the culture of journalism in their newsroom:}