Question proposer: Subbu Vincent <\/p>\n
Citations: Courtney Breese (NCDD), Linda Miller (APM), Michelle Levander (USC), Amy Wang (Oregonian), Jeremy Hay (Spaceship Media), Eva Perlman (Spaceship Media), Alicia Montgomery (WAMU 88.5), Jackie Hai (KJZZ), Linda Shaw (Seattle Times), Subbu Vincent (Trust Project, SCU)<\/p>\n
(Courtney Breese took notes) <\/p>\n
Recognising that even within news organisations there are people who are not reporting but who have capacities and opportunities to engage (other employees) <\/p>\n
Movement towards this on the business side. Engagement which requires sustained conversation is a challenge to legacy media. Moving in that direction may require union conversations about appoprriateness
\nHow do you define engagement in your org? May need to re-articulate
\nChallenge of staff buy-in. Some gravitate to this.
\nAmy Wang (Oregonian)
\nIn some news orgs departments have been consolidated. Sales and marketing would say they engage, we even get stories from them. Working closely today with marketing. They want good relationships with the community. So they can be a partner in community engagement.
\nAt Oregonian we did a reporting project called The Big Idea on state budget priorities. Marketing helped organise the event. <\/p>\n
Cultural barriers and disruption. There is shift in seeing newsrooms\u2019 role as convenor in the community versus just outreach to help identify stories. If you have limited capacity, you have to look at new ways to play your role. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s more a collaborative world now. Editors may not have attended community events before and now you should
\nThere is appreciation from the community for showing up
\nMichelle Levander brought up Martin Reynolds\u2019 example from the East Bay Times\/Bay Area News Group from earlier. Reporters setup office hours in cafes as open engagement opportunities. Others have done similar things to bring events to the community
\nCreating a culture of engagement leads to new and innovative ways of connecting with the community
\nReciprocity that happens between non-profits all the time can be used by newsrooms too
\nAt KJZZ we had a uphill battle. News and development are on different planets.
\nThere are silos within the news building itself. You don\u2019t even know necessarily who everyone is.
\nConversations are needed WITHIN newsrooms about these topics too
\nEarly use of PIN (Linda Miller) – it was not just stories but we asked people what kept them up at night. Tools can be used to shift culture, create communities, connections. They are ways to create extensions of the newsroom.<\/p>\n
Spaceship Media brings people in conflict together via Facebook group and inform them via journalism. Create stories about what arises in conversations. Conversation continues – they stay in touch, offer updates etc. They sometimes come back to the reporter. They are interesting to continuing to talk and learn. (Jeremy and Eve) <\/p>\n
Engaging communities is going on different topics. Partnerships are key.
\nWho are the orgs\/institutions to bring the right people into the room. A room of people that really represent the community.
\nE.g. health. A community health center can help.
\nAt NCDD (National Council for Deliberation and Dialogue) we find public libraries are great places for conversation.
\nLibraries have their ears to the ground and are attuned.
\n (Courtney Breese, MD of NCDD, CA) <\/p>\n
Newsrooms must (re)embrace role as convenors
\nGet staff training on how to host conversations
\nPartner with organisations and be flexible to their needs
\nNot everything should focus on content – think about role differently <\/p>\n
What about online spaces? A lot of the conversation so far has been about physical interventions, events.
\nSeems like many of these efforts follow a similar nature. Intimate safe environment for citizens
\nThere is a method to it, not just throwing people together.
\nThere is an intentionality to the prompts and plans. It\u2019s based on modelling good engagement, behaviour, etc.
\n(Jeremy – our dialogue fostering was done as a journalistic endeavour) <\/p>\n
Conversation does not have to be ongoing between newsrooms and communities in the sense of everyday. It will ebb and flow. (Linda Miller)
\nYes, I did not mean \u2018ongoing\u2019 in an everyday sense. I meant breaking engagement out of the \u2018project\u2019 silos. (Subbu) <\/p>\n
On Resources<\/p>\n
There is a desire to do this, but newsroom folks are not being given more time to do it.
\nIt becomes an add-on and hard-sell.
\nManagement buy in is critical.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question proposer: Subbu Vincent Citations: Courtney Breese (NCDD), Linda Miller (APM), Michelle Levander (USC), Amy Wang (Oregonian), Jeremy Hay (Spaceship Media), Eva Perlman (Spaceship Media), Alicia Montgomery (WAMU 88.5), Jackie Hai (KJZZ), Linda Shaw (Seattle Times), Subbu Vincent (Trust Project, … Continue reading