Create a Platform for Participatory Civic Action
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I. Introduction (15m)
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II. Choose Your Own Adventure (30m)
- Ensure Coverage is Relevant to Community Concerns
- Amplify Community Voices
- Reach Marginalized or Undercovered Communities
- Create a Platform for Participatory Civic Action
- Facilitate Civil Discourse Between Disparate Groups
- Deliver Deeper Customer Value
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III. Case Studies (50m)
- AL.com ("Tackling the Gap")
- Choteau Acantha ("The Montana Gap")
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Detroit Free Press ("Our Children: Searching for Solutions")
- KCPT
- Minneapolis Star Tribune ("Muslims and De-Radicalization: What Works?")
- The Seattle Times ("Education Lab")
- The Tennessean ("The Cost of Growth and Change"; "Civility Tennessee")
- Wyoming Public Media ("I Respectfully Disagree")
- Your Voice Ohio
The pursuit of solutions journalism can provide a foundation for community changemaking. Some partners describe this shift as a re-imagination of the role of a news outlet, from being merely a “paper of record” to helping constituents live their daily lives.
Producing solutions-oriented coverage is one component of this; another is fostering action-oriented discussions that spark policy change, hold public officials to account, or encourage different groups to participate in civic life. By investing in community engagement activities that bring reporters to the table with community members, newsroom partners often experience a profound change in self-perception. The newsroom comes to represent a place to break down barriers and spark conversations on tough issues, strengthening reporting and building new relationships. Journalists no longer see themselves as passive reporters or aloof observers, but as neutral conveners, active contributors, and credible resources for how problems can be solved effectively.
Participatory engagement activities also serve to shine a light on the inner workings of a newsroom and the work of journalists. This in turn helps to build goodwill. Research from the Trusting News Project suggests that rebuilding trust with audiences relies on authentic engagement, speaking about things people are already concerned about, and highlighting your value within their daily lives. Another critical element is to “tell your story” - conveying your newsroom’s values, mission, and purpose, and making clear how and why you do your work.
That’s a crucial function at a moment when public trust in journalism is at an historic low. Beyond that, “people are fascinated by journalism,” says Doug Oplinger, Managing Editor of Your Voice Ohio, recounting that community members have marveled at the difficulty of a journalist’s job and ask to learn more about how the media works. “Putting journalists around the table with people is breaking down the wall. It’s building trust.”
