{"id":14,"date":"2011-01-20T14:05:13","date_gmt":"2011-01-20T22:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/"},"modified":"2011-01-20T14:05:13","modified_gmt":"2011-01-20T22:05:13","slug":"meeting-report","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/meeting-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #444444\"><strong>2010: Journalism That Matters For the 21st Century<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #444444\"><strong>Fetzer Institute<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #444444\"><strong>October 6-9, 2005<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #444444\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/485\/2011\/01\/Kal1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15 aligncenter\" title=\"Kal1\" src=\"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/485\/2011\/01\/Kal1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/485\/2011\/01\/Kal1.png 339w, https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/485\/2011\/01\/Kal1-246x300.png 246w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Facilitated by<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stephen Silha and Peggy Holman<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On October 6-9, 2005, twenty-nine people in journalism (print, broadcast, new media, citizen activists, educators, a student, a funder and a Wall Street analyst) convened at the Fetzer Institute\u2019s Seasons Retreat Center to consider the future of journalism.<\/p>\n<p>The gathering was filled with rich, multi-textured, and creative conversations.\u00a0 <strong>Personal shifts <\/strong>from despair to hope occurred for many participants.\u00a0 Most left the gathering with tangible actions to pursue as several <strong>promising projects<\/strong> emerged.\u00a0 Perhaps most exciting, an innovative idea for creating a new style of newsroom, populated by a mix of professional and grassroots journalists, was born.\u00a0 Given the clear commitment among key participants to pursue this idea, this was a particularly specific and potentially useful outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Successful with journalists, <strong>the process itself<\/strong> (self-organizing, primarily using Open Space Technology) is a model for people in other sectors who wish to convene gatherings that produce a clear path for action.\u00a0 Its effectiveness originates from its integral nature, simultaneously engaging\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2026the inner, authentic presence of participants and<\/p>\n<p>\u2026their outer, professional selves;<\/p>\n<p>\u2026the inner stories that form the \u201cmaster narrative\u201d of a culture, and<\/p>\n<p>\u2026the outer activities of collective daily life.<\/p>\n<p>While detailed reports written by the participants provide texture and depth, some themes that surfaced include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Journalism as a conversation<\/strong> <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>A groundbreaking shift from journalism as a lecture compels journalists to engage the public in radically new ways;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shaping a new \u201cmaster narrative\u201d<\/strong>\u2014 Recovering the mythic story of journalists<strong> <\/strong>as a conveners and navigators through a changing world prepares them to support communities in shaping a new national \u201cmaster narrative\u201d for our times.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High tech\/high touch journalism<\/strong> \u2013 Whether on the web or in the caf\u00e9, new storytelling forms are emerging that engage us on cell phones and iPods, and in gathering places with food, music and the arts; and<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ready, Fire, Aim<\/strong> \u2013 This strategy of \u201cjust do it,\u201d moving from idea (ready) to implementation (fire) without months of planning (aim), is a radical alternative for this risk-averse culture.\u00a0 Changes in technology make such continuous evolution and ongoing learning a natural way to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fetzer\u2019s mission of love and forgiveness was a nuanced and profound force, continually surfacing throughout the meeting as the question \u201cWhat\u2019s love got to do with journalism?\u201d\u00a0 It showed up in sessions on healthy journalists, creating new economic models that serve communities, and preparing the next generation to be storytellers in and of their communities, with journalists as teachers, editors, and \u201cweavers.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, on the final day, one participant convened a session specifically on love and forgiveness and journalism.<\/p>\n<p>Several potential next steps emerged from the meeting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Convening a gathering to draft a proposal for an innovative model of community journalism based in conversation and engaging a mix of professional and citizen journalists<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Supporting a journalism community of practice including<strong> <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Community journalism symposia; and<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Online and face-to-face meetings to continue nourishing the ideas seeded during this gathering.<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Background<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This meeting took the seeds sown in the April journalism probe and expanded on its three themes, framed by recognition of the<strong> Power of Storytelling<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cultivating \u201chealthy journalists\u201d<\/strong>, renewing the inner life of the journalist;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Preparing the next generation<\/strong>, with an eye towards the emerging citizen journalist; and<\/p>\n<p><strong>Inventing a new economic model.<\/strong> As one participant put it, \u201cRather than further compromise the work, it\u2019s time to separate journalism from its current funding sources and find a new model.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">What We Learned about Journalism<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The October gathering made clear that the essential core of journalism \u2013 the spirit of making a difference \u2013 is alive and well.\u00a0 It simply needs to be welcomed and supported.\u00a0 The journalists themselves did this through the agenda they created.\u00a0 As one participant remarked, \u201cNo one could have planned as good a conference agenda as we produced.\u201d\u00a0 The themes from the original probe were woven throughout the breakout sessions.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">The Power of Story<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Journalism as a conversation.&#8221;\u00a0 This has significant implications for how stories are told and the nature of the stories.\u00a0 It implies more interchange with citizens, including a welcoming hand for citizen journalists, and a journalism responsive to public voice.<\/p>\n<p>Journalism needs a new master narrative for itself to facilitate a new master narrative for our culture.\u00a0 Such a narrative began to emerge, composed of the themes cited in this report.<\/p>\n<p>How does good storytelling adapt to the new technologies, such as Instant Messaging, Podcasting and cell phones?\u00a0 One session collected over 30 examples of new ways to tell stories.<\/p>\n<p>A pattern for community journalism emerged: conversation leads to engagement which revitalizes democracy.<\/p>\n<p>One specific project, Healthy Oakland, reflects the power of using a variety of community storytelling approaches.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Healthy Journalists<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>As a participant quoted: <em>\u201cWork is love made visible.\u201d<\/em> &#8212; Kahlil Gibran<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHealthy journalists\u201d pervaded virtually every discussion.\u00a0 Rather than explicit conversation about the inner life, this theme was expressed principally through the many passionate explorations of journalism that serves the greater good and in doing so brings meaning and health to journalists.<\/p>\n<p>The inner life of the journalist affects the types of stories they tell, as well as how they tell them.<\/p>\n<p>One participant made a personal commitment to blog about loving what he does and atoning for sins committed in the name of journalism.<\/p>\n<p>Many reconnected with what inspired their choice of profession: wanting to make a difference in their communities.<\/p>\n<p>Healthy journalists can\u2019t exist without healthy journalism organizations.\u00a0 This simple idea reinforced the power of processes, such as Open Space Technology, that allow people to address both their inner world and outer work in organizations.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Preparing the Next Generation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>The changes in the field are epochal \u2013 new structures, attitudes, and skills make the old ways obsolete.\u00a0 Ironically, this creates a wonderful opportunity for two-way mentoring.\u00a0 Older journalists bring experience and the young bring storytelling for the emerging social and technological landscape.<\/p>\n<p>An exciting model for the newsroom emerged using a mix of professionals, grassroots journalists, and collaborations between them.<\/p>\n<p>A new kind of community media training program is being developed by Reclaim The Media, Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>What does today\u2019s journalism student need to learn?\u00a0 New and classic skills were identified.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">New Economic Models<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Economics is the connective tissue between the inner needs of journalists and the outer context in which they operate.\u00a0 A remarkable rolling conversation engaged every participant sometime during the gathering.\u00a0 Both evenings were filled with intense explorations of the interconnections among print, broadcast and new media.\u00a0 An innovative idea for a newsroom based in the premise of journalism as a conversation emerged.\u00a0 Imagine a \u201cnewsroom caf\u00e9\u201d where journalists tune into their community and stories are covered by a mix of professionals and citizen journalists.<\/p>\n<p>RFA:\u00a0 Ready \u2013 Fire \u2013 Aim emerged as the approach to introducing new ideas in a wired world, engaging audience in uncovering and evolving what works in real time.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">What We Learned about the Process<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The process used for this gathering brought a powerful sense of renewal to participants identifying both individual and collective possibilities for action.\u00a0 Many participants noted how effectively it engaged them on multiple levels \u2013 individual and collective, their inner life and their outer world.\u00a0 Evidence suggests it would have a similar impact on people in other fields in transition.<\/p>\n<p>The essential principle of the process is an invitation for participants to take responsibility for what they love.\u00a0 In doing so, they consistently reconnect with their own internal passions and they discover that collectively, no matter how different they seem to each other, they care about the same core ideals.\u00a0 This discovery reconnects people to the larger whole, while celebrating the uniqueness of each individual.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">The Approach<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>The process began with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">personal invitations<\/span> from the April probe participants.\u00a0 The willingness of busy people to take the time and reach out to their networks is a testament to the commitment generated by this approach.\u00a0 Because the invitations came from trusted associates, we were able to bring together some very unlikely players, as exemplified in this pre-conference e-mail:<\/p>\n<p><em>Hi.<br \/>\nCandidly, my generational and other attitudes probably are bubbling\u00a0to the fore, but this all seems pretty touchy-feely to an impatient, 60-something, kind of grumpy person recently described\u00a0 as a &#8220;no-nonsense taskmaster.&#8221;\u00a0 Tell me we&#8217;re not going do something akin to sitting around\u00a0darkened\u00a0 rooms with candles, incense and bamboo flute music getting in touch with\u00a0 our inner selves in order to solve life&#8217;s (and journalism&#8217;s) problems. Otherwise, you may have the wrong guy.<br \/>\nApologies and warm regards and best wishes to all.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By the meeting\u2019s end, a participant hosted a breakout session reflecting a profound shift in attitude:<\/p>\n<p><em>Establish Journalism Day of Atonement<\/em><em> to:<br \/>\n1) Express love for what we do<br \/>\n2) Ask Forgiveness for sins committed in the name of journalism<br \/>\n3) Pledge to do better<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once identified, participants were paired to do an <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">appreciative interview with each other by telephone before the gathering,<\/span> serving multiple purposes:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to understand the rich diversity of perspectives and experiences they brought to the subject;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; to develop relationships among them;<em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; to build on the themes from the original probe; and<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; to energize the meeting by jump-starting the reflections and conversations.<\/p>\n<p>Participants shared summaries of their interviews with each other.\u00a0 Bios were also provided, helping people understand the depth and breadth of their collective experience.<\/p>\n<p>The core process during the face-to-face time was <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Open Space Technology (OST)<\/span>.\u00a0 The basic pattern of OST is an invitation for people to host breakout sessions on topics of personal interest.\u00a0 When held over three days, OST follows a predictable self-organized trajectory: a day of angst for the current situation (day 1), an exploration of what\u2019s desired (day 2), and tangible ideas to create a better future (day 3).\u00a0 All without a facilitator telling anyone what to do.<em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">report<\/span> of the sessions was produced and distributed each morning.\u00a0 The session notes were written by participants.\u00a0 Graphic recording was also used to enhance the readability, creativity, and shareability of the reports.<\/p>\n<p>A <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">follow-up conference call<\/span>, open to all who attended the meeting, occurred on October 27.\u00a0 With 10 meeting participants on the call and another seven sending regrets, it is clear that the energy from the gathering is quite strong three weeks later.\u00a0 In fact, the bulk of the call was a discussion of the projects that either emerged from or were influenced by the meeting at Seasons.\u00a0 One participant, a funder who was not at the conference, was so impressed with the call that he committed $10,000 to support the ongoing work of the group.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Next Steps<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Multiple projects were identified by participants.\u00a0 Many fit well with Fetzer\u2019s program areas.\u00a0 Those that might benefit from additional involvement from Fetzer are noted.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Draft a grant proposal for a new model of community journalism<\/span><br \/>\nSpanning all of Fetzer\u2019s program areas, this ambitious and inspiring proposal is a remarkably simple, powerful idea.\u00a0 Test a newsroom model that uses professional and citizen journalists working independently and together, garnering stories from a \u201cmarketplace of ideas\u201d that can be fed by anyone.\u00a0 Look for communities which currently have no coverage and wish to invite in a news organization.\u00a0 A first next step is to convene a conference call between possible funders and key conference participants.<\/p>\n<p>(possible next step for Fetzer)<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Recovering the Heart of Vocation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Support a journalism community of practice<\/span> <strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Support the heart of vocation by continuing to connect participants electronically and further seeding these ideas by bringing together more journalists.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Community Journalism Symposia<br \/>\nUsing Seattle as a test site, provide the infrastructure that attracts a mix of mainstream and independent media people to meet and learn together<br \/>\n(possible candidate for seed money from Fetzer)<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>A respected blogger who attended the gathering is setting up a site for conference participants to stay in touch and continue their work together<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Continue to convene diverse gatherings of journalists using this OST-based format<br \/>\n(possible next step for Fetzer)<strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Transforming Conflict<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Citizen Journalism Initiative<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a session hosted by the online publisher of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, \u201cRFA Spokane\u201d was defined as a \u201cyou design\/you define\/your community\u201d\u00a0initiative in citizen journalism (note: RFA \u2013 Ready Fire Aim).<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><br \/>\n<\/span>(funded by the Spokane Spokesman Review)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">West Oakland neighborhood Web site as part of the Oakland Tribune<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Already committed to action, one participant hosted a session to define a project in which the voices of the community are as prominent as the professional journalists\u2019 stories. It is a place for conversation, for stories, for information.<\/p>\n<p>(funded by the Oakland Tribune)<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Telling the Story of Love and Forgiveness<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Journalism Day of Atonement<br \/>\n<\/span>This session explored a possible connection between journalism and the films Fetzer is currently producing on love and forgiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2010: Journalism That Matters For the 21st Century Fetzer Institute October 6-9, 2005 Facilitated by Stephen Silha and Peggy Holman Summary On October 6-9, 2005, twenty-nine people in journalism (print, broadcast, new media, citizen activists, educators, a student, a funder &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/meeting-report\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalismthatmatters.org\/kalamazoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}