I set up this informal session to hear what people thought about Understanding Government’s project called GIMBY, or “Government in My Backyard.” The idea of GIMBY plays off the well-known NIMBY acronym to stress the idea that government is really in everyone’s backyard, whether we want it there or not, and so it makes sense for people to be informed about what is going on where they live — and to help other people around the country learn more. Understanding Government’s goal is better government through better reporting. So we are launching GIMBY to create active links between reporters of all kinds in cities, towns, and rural areas across the U.S. and a broader national audience — of reporters, policymakers, and government officials. We want to grow these links through a new website (called www.gimby.us) and get stories out there for reporters and government officials to see what’s really happening — and how people who live outside the Beltway really feel about what their government is doing. Consider how many local issues have national relevance — from environmental or security questions on the nation’s border with Mexico (like the border fence) to foreclosure crisis that is hitting some parts of the country much harder and faster than others. We’re talking about issues like: burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the continuing loss of manufacturing jobs in Michigan, and the ongoing threat of flooding down the Mississippi all the way to long-suffering New Orleans. All of these questions involve federal agencies and of course state-level agencies, and all of them involve our tax dollars.
This concept is big — and developing it fully, to cover the entire country, could take a number of years. So I came to my fellow participants at the Journalism That Matters conference, many of whom were place bloggers and reporters for local newspapers, to see what they thought about this idea. People were enthusiastic and very helpful. Here are some of the ideas they brought to the table: – Lots of local and state-level reporters are out of work who could contribute to this – students of journalism at the college and grad school level could report on agency performance where they live and study – GIMBY should link to local forums where these issues are already being actively discussed – “Take a story” of a person who has been affected by a problem that a federal agency is supposed to solve and follow it through to make this real for people, instead of just theoretical or like a civics class. – Create possibility, rather than just reporting on mistakes — these are the stories of possibility because reporting on them can create change, and it has to acknowledge that many players want to improve the situation, even (often) the people who caused the original problem.
Since I am new to the world of reporting and editing, it was great to have the opportunity to talk to people who are doing this work and to get the kind of encouragement that the Journalism That Matters approach brings. I also met people, both at this breakout session and elsewhere at the conference, who are ready to work with Understanding Government to try out these ideas — and that’s the most exciting opportunity of all. Getting this kind of reporting going, even if it’s initially on a volunteer basis, is the key to showing other organizations, news media, and just folks around the country what’s possible.
Here’s a list (I think it’s complete) of the folks who were part of this impromptu workshop — and my thanks to all of them: Cory Allen Heidelberger of the Madville Times, South Dakota – see this link Mary Treacy of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Info — see this link Arnie Arnesen from www.politicalchowder.com — see this link Jane Johnston of The Newburgh Advocate — see this link Steven Schild of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (professor of journalism there) — see this link Chris Naff of Humankind Media — see this link