National Civic Review articles from January 1996

National Civic Review archives from January 1996

Publisher and editor's note. (public or civic journalism)(Editorial)
January 1, 1996... On January 13, 1996, civic activists in Springfield, Missouri, a city of about 150,000 in the Ozarks, held what they called "The Good Community Fair" at the student center of the local college. The day's events included a town hall meeting for...

Public journalism is a challenge to you (yes, you).
January 1, 1996... Anyone who wants to understand the mythology of the American press can begin by renting the film version of All the President's Men. The movie tells the story of two heroic reporters penetrating the facade of the Nixon White House and...

Public journalism for people.
January 1, 1996... When it began in the early 1990s, public journalism was not the purposeful river it is today, but a dozen or more rivulets and streams, each hardly known to anyone but the journalist who built it. Jeremy Iggers, an ethics columnist at the...

What is pubic journalism? Five communities, five examples.
January 1, 1996... THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS The Kettering Foundation sits a few minutes' drive from downtown Dayton. Early in 1994 its issue-framing experts were completing a new National Issues Forum discussion guide, What Should Be Done about Juvenile...

A bibliographic review of civic journalism.
January 1, 1996... Civic leaders and public officials no doubt can make a good case that they are too busy coping with the press to delve deeply into its contemporary professional and ideological struggles. But the adventurous among them may be well repaid by a...

Beyond telling the news.
January 1, 1996... "To suppose that (newspapers) only serve to protect freedom would be to diminish their importance: they maintain civilization... In democratic countries... it frequently happens that a great number of men who wish or want to combine cannot...

The civic role in public journalism.
January 1, 1996... Anyone who values the spur to revitalization and problem solving that is already being evidenced by civic journalism projects can't help but cheer as this phenomenon gains a foothold in a growing number of communities across the country. But...

A community view of public journalism: League of Women Voters chapter grades Norfolk newspaper project.
January 1, 1996... Imagine a powerful news organization with seemingly unlimited resources offering to help your community solve it's problems. It sounds too good to be true, so when the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Virginia, announced its commitment to public...

Public journalism and civic revival: a reporter's view.
January 1, 1996... Any veteran news reporter knows if the editor's kid comes down with the flu, an assignment on the flu season can't be far behind. Often, that's what it takes - a lead dropped in our laps - for us journalists to take note of what's news. So why...

Redefining the elements of news.
January 1, 1996... It's another election year, and here's what you can expect to see in your local news media: Stories about which candidate is leading in the polls in a distant state not even remotely like yours; stories about a candidate's misstatements or...

Public journalism and public deliberation.
January 1, 1996... If the job of the press is to inform the public, and the public has become too fragmented for information to be useful, then the role of the journalist has to be restated - not necessarily changed, mind you, but elaborated. "Informing the...

Breaking the News: How American Media Undermine Democracy.
January 1, 1996... REVIEWED BY RON KING James Fallows is an erudite a reporter, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, who loves nothing better than to micro-analyze such topics as the emerging industrial economy of Borneo....

Proportional representation.
January 1, 1996... In 1995, strong steps were taken toward more use of proportional representation (PR) voting systems for a range of U.S. elections, from elections to Congress to cities. Nationally, U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia introduced...

It's time for a voters' rights movement.
January 1, 1996... In rejecting Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's congressional district as a "racial gerrymander" in September 1994, two federal judges made a remarkable statement in their majority opinion: "The time has come to contemplate more...

PR for Congress. (proportional representation)(Transcript)
January 1, 1996... Representative McKinney on HR 2545 On October 26, 1995, Representative Cynthia McKinney introduced HR 2545 to restore states' ability to use proportional systems for U.S. House elections. Here is her statement: The Supreme Court in June...

New York City Community School Board elections.
January 1, 1996... The Center for Voting and Democracy recently analyzed elections to the 32 Community School Board districts in New York City, contrasting voting age population from the 1990 census with the race and ethnicity of winning candidates in these...

Voting system reform update.
January 1, 1996... Conference in Boston's Faneuil Hall: The Center for Voting and Democracy's (CV&D) November 1995 national conference in Boston was a great success. Three hundred educators, activists, students and supporters from across the country...

"Corporations and America's communities." (excerpt from remarks by Allstate Corp. CEO Jerry D. Choate)(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)(Transcript)
January 1, 1996... Excerpts from Remarks by Jerry D. Choate to the 1995 All-America City Awards Banquet Cleveland, Ohio, June 24, 1995 Allstate has sponsored the All-America City Award Program for seven years. We do so, in part, because we have a big stake...

Civic infrastructure and the 1995 All-America Cities.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Central to the National Civic League's approach to the issue of civic excellence is the concept of "civic infrastructure." Analogous to physical infrastructure - roads, bridges and buildings - civic infrastructure is vitally important to the...

Statistical profile: 1995 All-America Cities.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... The information presented in this section of the All-America City Yearbook is intended for comparison purposes only. The All-America City Screening Committee and Jury - where necessary and appropriate - employ statistical data to judge the...

Mobile, Alabama.(Supplement: The 1995 All-America Cities)
January 1, 1996... Population 201,896 As Alabama's oldest port city, Mobile is richly textured with layers of Spanish, French and Anglo-American culture. Despite its strategic location and timeless Southern charm, however, the city's fortunes historically have...

Lindsay, California.(Supplement: The 1995 All-America Cities)
January 1, 1996... Population 8,338 Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California's rich San Joaquin Valley, Lindsay historically has depended on seasonal agricultural production and processing, with olive and citrus growing as the local...

Monrovia, California.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 37,545 Established in 1886, Monrovia is among the oldest cities in Los Angeles County. A full-service city providing its own police and fire protection (many cities in Los Angeles County receive these services from the County),...

Ocala-Marion County, Florida.(Supplement: 1995 All-America Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 194,833 Located in north-central Florida, Ocala-Marion County was one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas throughout the 1980s. With growth came urban sprawl, downtown abandonment, environmental stress, and a more pronounced...

Lafayette, Indiana.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 44,622 Founded in the mid-19th century as a commercial and agricultural distribution center, Lafayette has grown and prospered as a result of its location on the Wabash River and its suitability as a railhead. Enjoying a strong...

Greater Louisville, Kentucky.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 986,373 The area encompassing the City of Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky and Southern Indiana is known as "Greater Louisville," and is part of the seven-county Louisville MSA. While community-minded, however, the area has...

Jemez Springs, New Mexico.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 456 Located in northern New Mexico, the tiny Village of Jemez Springs was recently "discovered" when the federal government established a National Recreation Area, the boundaries of which completely encircle the community....

Lumberton, North Carolina.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 18,601 Uniquely tri-ethnic in character, with significant African-American and Native American population segments, the Lumberton community boasts a variety of civic clubs and local festivals and service projects that enjoy...

Akron, Ohio.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 223,019 The last passenger-vehicle tire was manufactured in Akron in 1982, forcing the one-time "Rubber Capitol of the World" to take steps toward the restructuring of its economy, the recruitment of new leadership, and the...

Edinburg, Texas.(Supplement: 1995 All-America City Yearbook)
January 1, 1996... Population 29,885 A predominantly Hispanic community located near the Mexican border, Edinburg is afflicted by a history of unemployment and widespread poverty. But Edinburg citizens can confirm that a great deal of progress is possible when...