As part of conference preparation, participants were paired to start the conversation. The idea is to be in touch with one other person, learn about their expertise, mission and intentions, and then write about it. This gives everyone a head start on the idea-generating process — and a reason to meet someone new.
Our main suggestion to participants was to talk about who they are, what they’re doing, and what they hope to get out of the conference. The questions below are stimulus for the conversation.
Reflections on the conversations follow the questions.
- Tell me about your work and how it led to saying “yes” to attending this event.
- What outcomes would you like for yourself and your organization/work from these sessions?
- Tell me about an experience you’ve had in which engaging a diverse mix of perspectives made a positive difference in a story that mattered.
What did the experience teach you about what it takes to involve diverse voices?
What difference did doing so make?
What do you believe is essential to the relationship between journalism and the public for meeting the news and information needs of all communities?
- Without being humble, what do you value most about yourself? What do you see yourself bringing to this conference?
- The year is 2015 and a vibrant media landscape exists that engages all people and communities.
What does it look like?
What steps did we take at this event and immediately thereafter to bring this about?
Reflections on the conversations:
- The “Fifth Estate” of participatory news, media, and civic change – Ingeborg Endter & Melissa Cornick
- Create or Die: Pre-Conference Conversation Summary – Cheryl Fields & Brian Steffans
- Ingeborg Endter’s chat with Michelle Ferrier
- Ingeborg Endter, Consultant, Center for Future Civic Media, MIT by Michelle Ferrier
- Maria Rojas and Stephen Silha
- Assignment: Detroit – Steven Gray & Sue Ellen Christian
- Our Part of the Elephant – Organizing and Funding Media Reform While Avoiding Old Mistakes – Matt Renner & Linda Jue