Doing public journalism

by Arthur Charity

In places as far apart as Portland, Maine and Bremerton, Washington, public interest groups, grass-roots coalitions, councils of churches, and community forums have found an unexpected partner in the attempts to solve deep-rooted social problems: the press. Since 1993, dozens of daily newspapers, both big and small, have been networking through the Project on Public Life and the Press to create a new form of "public journalism" which--drawing on scholarship in political communications and conflict resolution, on practical experiments in public deliberation, and on the innovations of journalists across the United States--tries to make it as easy as possible for citizens to meet across social boundaries, deliberate, organize, and act. For the first time, Doing Public Journalism draws together this work. Although aimed primarily at journalists, it is a good primer as well for citizens interested in taking advantage of the opportunities public journalists are opening up for them.