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JTM Pacific Northwest Update

by Matt Rosenberg

In January of this year, I was one of several hundred participants in a Pacific Northwest conference staged by a national organization with Seattle-area roots, Journalism That Matters. Since their initial conference in New York City in October 2001, JTM has been bringing together journalists and increasingly, others interested in the growing and changing public information ecosphere. The aim has been to puzzle through epic changes in the news and information landscape and creatively develop new approaches, alliances and projects that strengthen bonds of community and democracy through constructive engagement. The JTM Pacific Northwest (JTM-PNW) conference at the University of Washington in Seattle drew a diverse group of current and former legacy media journalists, specialty media, new media and social media practitioners, representatives of non-profits including civic and advocacy groups, some very talented and capable students, and others. Ten initiatives have come forward as a direct result of the conference. They are at varying stages.

Two provide detailed recent reports and plans at JTM-PNW’s site. One is the Seattle Digital Literacy Initiative. More here from the UW School of Communications, which is providing funding and a home for the project for two years. This is an impressive development which reflects the valuable role JTM-PNW plays as an instigator and enabler for innovation. Another recent update is from JTM-PNW’s Building On Transparency effort, which I am helping to advance as part of my work for Countywide Community Forums (CCF), a public engagement program in King County which is underwritten by private donors, most notably the Spady family of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants in Seattle.

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An Open Letter to Journalists

It’s time for a new compact between Journalists and the Public.

We need you.  Your work is vital to the well-being of us all.  I can’t imagine a functional democracy without the passionate commitment journalists make to digging deeply into what matters.  It is a sacred trust and I thank you for doing it on our behalf.

If I – and others –believe that, why do so many of us seem hostile to the press?  Because we feel betrayed.  Where were you when we needed you?  Where were your warnings about the state of the economy?  About the lies of weapons of mass destruction?  About the many stories closer to home that affect our lives and well-being?  Did you miss the clues yourself? Did you know and not help us hear your messages?  How could you let us down?

If you don’t feel trusted, please understand that it is in part the corporation behind you that many of us don’t trust.  When my primary identity shifted from citizen to consumer something died.  You are not your corporation.  I don’t need them.  I need you.

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What’s Emerging in the News and Information Ecosystem?

What is a news and information ecosystem?

The information exchange among the public, government and institutions that can inform, inspire, engage, and activate.

What do we know about it?

There is a new story of journalism being born even as the old story is dying.  At its heart, that new story stays true – and enlarges on – a purpose that many journalists hold dear: “to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing" (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2001).   Like its predecessor, the new story has a mythic quality regarding the role journalism plays in navigating a changing world, bringing people a cultural narrative that prepares them and their communities to prosper. 

Each Journalism That Matters Event has added to our understanding of what is emerging.  Those themes are below.

From Detroit:  Communities are taking responsibility for their own story.  One strategy: embed journalists in the communities.

From Seattle:  Large outfits bring credibility.  Small outfits bring heart.  Collaborate.

From St. Pete: Journalism is still about the public good and now it is entrepreneurial.

From Kalamazoo:

The future of journalism centers around the power of storytelling to create healthy communities. Specifically:

Cultivating “healthy journalists”, renewing the inner life of the journalist;

Preparing the next generation, with an eye towards the emerging citizen journalist; and

Inventing a new economic model. As one participant put it, “Rather than further compromise the work, it’s time to separate journalism from its current funding sources and find a new model.”

Some of its seeds include: Continue reading →

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Civic Communications Commons

This group proposes the development of a Civic Communications Commons (CCC) in Seattle and King County as a common civic infrastructure that connects virtual and face-to-face civic, community, and neighborhood spaces.

It’s proposal says:

“The CCC would be a common civic space in Seattle, growing from the many existing resources in neighborhoods, communities, the non-profit sector, government, and business. The Seattle Commons will be built by many hands with widespread ownership and responsibility.

“By envisioning the CCC as a ‘common civic space’ we mean, quite literally, the space in which members of a community do their work as participants in the public life of that community. This work includes:

  • The many small, informal, but important networks of everyday civic life (helping neighbors, building and maintaining community gardens, etc.) ;
  • The building and maintaining of “third-places” both on- and offline, and weaving the two together;
  • The civic work of young people, gathering and posting neighborhood and community stories, and building the commons itself;
  • The collaborative work of media: city- and county-wide, mainstream, public, and alternative; neighborhood, and micro-local to present a broad picture of the community and gather and disseminate the information necessary for public work;
  • The vital work of libraries as conveners, connectors, and providers of information and civic space;
  • Supporting grassroots participation by engaging and assisting lively community and neighborhood news and information centers.
  • Organization for a broad range of projects in urban design, arts, and culture;
  • Community members addressing and petitioning, but also collaborating with, government Continue reading →
JTM News, Projects, Seattle

JTM PNW Collaboratory

Two weeks after the JTMPNW gathering, about twenty participants met to discuss ways to sustain the effort. The individuals shared thoughts about activities they were personally most interested in pursuing.

JTM Collaboratory Notes

Subsequently, nine people agreed to form a group of stewards to continue the JTMPNW Collaboratory. The invitation to potential participants said:

“Think of this as a catalyzing hub for a loose-knit network of people interested in furthering what emerged at the January conference on behalf of journalism, innovation, and civic engagement in the Northwest. We also see it as an experiment for a national model.”

The nine people who signed up each made a one-year commitment involving monthly meetings and ongoing follow up work as we invent the Collaboratory. The group also envisions a quarterly collaboratory session to re-connect, share what is happening, and continue generating connections and ideas, as well an ongoing communications effort.

The convening stewards: Continue reading →