Worldwide Charter Meeting set for New Professional Society for Public Journalism
Begins with journalists‚ academics and citizen advocates from around the world participating…
Georgia (Nov 18, 2002) — Worldwide Charter Meeting set for New Professional Society for Public Journalism
Staff
Abstract
Begins with journalists‚ academics and citizen advocates from around the world participating
in online forum in November and December‚ followed by live Charter Meeting in January.
Where:
Live Charter Meeting at Kennesaw State University‚ outside of Atlanta
For more information and Online Forum go to: KennesawSummit.kennesaw.edu
When:
Live Charter Meeting Jan. 24−25‚ 2003.
Online Forum November and December.
Why:
When the Pew Center for Civic Journalism‚ currently the only central resource for
civic journalism‚ closes shop in the spring of 2003‚ civic journalism will need a
navigation vehicle to take it into the future. "That vehicle should be a professional
journalists' organization like the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors‚
IRE‚ or the Organization of News Ombudsmen‚" said Leonard Witt‚ the Robert D. Fowler
Distinguished Chair in Communication at Kennesaw State University and former executive
director of the Civic Journalism Initiative at Minnesota Public Radio.
Who:
Journalists‚ academics and citizen advocates from around the world are joining an
online forum hosted by Kennesaw State to begin writing the society's new charter and
to have a deliberative discussion about civic journalism. Many of these journalists‚
academics and citizen advocates will then attend the face−to−face meeting Jan. 24−25‚
2003. The forum and live meetings will be a historic moment in the evolution of public
or civic journalism.
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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing
student population of 15‚600 from 118 countries. The fifth largest out of 34 institutions
in the University System of Georgia‚ KSU offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree
programs.
Additional material:
A Society of Civic Reporters and Editors
What's the next step for civic or public journalism? A cohort of journalists and academics
believe it's a professional society of journalists who want to keep the movement's
tenets alive.
A Charter Meeting for this new society is already set for January 24−25‚ 2003 at Kennesaw
State University outside of Atlanta.
Drafts of the new organization's charter will be vetted in online forums during the
months of November and December‚ 2002.
More than 50 journalists‚ academics and citizens from around the country and around
the world have expressed keen interest in joining the conversation.
Gil Thelen‚ executive editor and senior vice president of The Tampa Tribune‚ said:
"This society can be an important forum for continuing the vital conversation civic
journalism has prompted for journalists. The society's work will extend this conversation
for years to come."
Leonard Witt‚ Robert D. Fowler Distinguished Chair in Communication at Kennesaw State
University and former executive director of the Civic Journalism Initiative at Minnesota
Public Radio‚ said‚ "We know that the Pew Center for Civic Journalism is closing shop
in the spring of 2003. When it does‚ civic journalism will need a navigation vehicle
to take it into the future. That vehicle should be a professional journalists' organization
like the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors‚ IRE‚ or the Organization
of News Ombudsmen."
"We know a lot‚ after 10 years‚ about civic journalism: We know it triggers civic
behaviors‚ from voting to volunteering. It builds knowledge. It builds credibility.
Citizens 'get' it and like it. And journalists find it dramatically improves their
journalism‚" said Jan Schaffer‚ executive director of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism‚
the nation's primary incubator for civic initiatives. "Civic journalists are eager
for a professional society to share knowledge and innovation. The time is right."
Davis Buzz Merritt‚ one of the founders of the civic journalism movement‚ said‚ "The
seeds of public journalism have been sown in many places over the last decade. It's
appropriate now for journalists to imagine what its mature phase will be like‚ and
this new organization is a good place to start."
In late July‚ at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism
and Mass Communication in Kansas City‚ academics will meet with the society's new
officers and be invited to start student chapters.
Kathy Campbell‚ visiting journalism professor at the University of Oregon and co−vice
chair of the AEJMC's Civic Journalism Interest Group‚ said‚ "The traditional 'great
divide' between journalism and academia has never existed in civic journalism −− Buzz
Merritt‚ Jay Rosen and Jan Schaffer have made sure of that. As we head into our second
decade of experimentation and refinement with civic practices‚ it's crucial that we
maintain and strengthen the bridge between us."
To join the conversation online or face−to−face in January at Kennesaw State University‚
contact:
Leonard Witt
Robert D. Fowler Distinguished Chair in Communication
Department of Communication
Kennesaw State University
1000 Chastain Road‚ Mail Stop #3102
Kennesaw‚ GA 30144−5591
770 423−6925; FAX 770 423−6740
Lwitt@kennesaw.edu
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
