Forces for Change   

WANNABE REFORMERS ARE riding across the landscape of journalism these days. Here are some of the chief initiatives:
Public or civic Journalism Public journalism is often called a ³movement,² and it is associated with professor Jay Rosen of New York University and former Wichita Eagle Editor Buzz Merritt, among others. Its goal is to help journalists ³reconnect to their communities and engage their citizens in dialogue and problem solving² through techniques such as sponsoring community forums, helping develop civic goals, and following through with news coverage. The Pew Center for Civic Journalism, founded in 1993 and sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, reported in its spring 2000 newsletter that more than 2,500 journalists have attended its workshops and more than 170 news organizations have participated in 92 civic journalism initiatives sponsored by the center.

ASNE Journalism Credibility Project The American Society of Newspaper Editors launched a three-year, $1.2 million credibility project in 1997, with funds from the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation. The goals included researching why journalists¹ credibility has slipped and seeking ways to rebuild public trust. The project also has sponsored experiments at eight papers that ranged from improving coverage of youth to having readers help proofread the paper.

PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM Founded in 1996 and supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, this effort seeks ³to clarify and raise the standards of American journalism.² Under Director Tom Rosenstiel, it has brought journalists together to discuss various issues; conducted research into matters such as local TV news coverage; and worked to provide practical tips and tools for newspeople. The project also funded an 18-part series of articles, the Project on the State of the American Newspaper, which ran in AJR. An offshoot, the Committee of Concerned Journalists, is working to ³renew journalists¹ faith in the core principles and function² of their work.

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR NEWS This think tank, whose longtime executive director, Jean Gaddy Wilson, retired June 1, was launched in 1987. With a budget of more than $1 million a year, its mission has been ³seeking and fostering innovation in the development and delivery of news and information in the service of a democratic society.² Its programs and roundtables have dealt with a wide variety of issues, ranging from demographics to convergence.

AND MANY OTHERS Still more foundations and organizations are devoting attention to journalism. Examples include Free Press/Fair Press, from the Freedom Forum; the Committee on the Future of Journalism, from the Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America; conferences on journalism and the public trust, conducted by AJR and funded by the Ford Foundation; and the Journalism Ethics and Integrity Project of the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation, also funded by the Ford Foundation.

--C.S.S.