Action commitments by participants

These notes were taken by Bill Densmore

On Saturday morning, participants in “Journalism that Matters” convened and after some introductions, Peggy Holman asked that we go around the circle and describe the projects that each of us was willing to take on.

PARTICIPANTS: Brian Beveridge, Azalea Blalock, Scott Hall, Cecily Burt, Bill Densmore, Christine Saed, Matlho Kjosi, Stephen Silha, Jim Shaffer, Martin Reynolds, Peggy Holman, Mike Skoler, Dave Johnson, Peggy Kuhr, Chris Peck, Linda Jue.

These project commitments stem from a larger list of ideas developed on Friday afternoon (which are listed below these commitments):

Stephen Silha—To initiate action toward a proposal to the Kellogg Foundation to fund the Village Commons concept as proposed by Richard Anderson.

Chris Peck—A proposal to the Fetzer Foundation to fund an “inner-journalist” process of helping mainstream media folks move beyond anger-denial-grieving about the future of journalism and start working as individuals within their organizations on projects that will move journalism into the future.

Jim Shaffer: Will write a handbook with advice and tools for helping news-industry workers to adapt to change.

Cecily Burt – A proposal for “West Side Soup,” serving West Oakland, which will include a website and eventually a weekly newspaper. The proposal will include a satellite office, mobile unit, staffed with professional interns. Also an ecological space, a center for a satellite newsroom newsroom and for community members young and old to meet. Outreach resources will including posting with kiosks and message boards to the community. Other forms of media funding for interns, partners, professional journalists and students.

Dave Johnson – In Atwater, Minn., convene board of directors of the Sunfish Gazette to give information about sustainability pathways through a request to the Blandon Foundation which would get them going with the Village Soup platform.

Peggy Kuhr— A pilot class in the fall called “Citizen Journalism and Community” at the University of Kansas, with the idea of developing it into a proposal to seek funding for a broader curriculum project.

Bill Densmore – Will include a media-that-matters afternoon as part of the MGP summit, organized with help from Chris, Mike, Steve Silha and others.

Brian Beveridge – A youth video exchange with Oakland and Atwater, Minn., focusing on global subjects. (Aside: Densmore suggests connecting with Rob Williams at ACME-Vermont regarding Jordan exchange; Peck suggests connecting with Jim Boyd at Bridges in Memphis).

These were the bullet-point ideas developed on Friday:

· Media Giraffe Project website
· Mobile newsroom
· Create the Village Soup commons/nodes around the country
· Village Soup classroom
· Atwater Soup
· Independent Press Association as home for greenhousing around venture capital and new media ecologies.
· Continue JTM at Media Giraffe Project June 28-July 1
· Community Journalism Centers
· Teaching course: “Hard News with an Appreciative Eye”
· Grow radio into community network (KAXE Soup)
· Magazines as community media
· “Inner Journalist” retreat
· Look into transforming news organizations from within – Ghandian
· Journalist-citizen retreats
· Youth mentors for journalists
· Journalist as social servant classes

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