Journalism that matters in a world gone mad

November 5, 2017December 2, 2017 PeggyHolman

I recently gave a talk on my eighteen year journey with Journalism That Matters at the COS conference in Amsterdam on the theme “what do we do when we don’t know what to do.” (COS = Challenging Organizations and Society)

The slides are here.

And the talk:

Journalism for Communities and Democracy

June 24, 2017 PeggyHolman

Through Journalism That Matters, a nonprofit I co-founded, I was part of a research team that looked at explored the question:

What would journalism look like if it were generated from within community rather than FOR community?

Check out the summary of our research or the full paper.

Come to Elevate Engagement – May 18-21, Portland, Oregon

March 20, 2017March 20, 2017 PeggyHolman

Elevate Engagement, an unconference on community-centered journalism, is happening on May 18-21 at the Agora Journalism Center in Portland, Oregon.

Agora and Journalism That Matters are partnering to create this opportunity for a deep dive into the role that community engagement plays in providing quality storytelling and in addressing the declining trust in journalism and other civic institutions.

We use a highly interactive conference format for pursuing the questions that matter most to participants. This peer-based learning exchange is powered by bringing together people who don’t normally meet, including journalists, public engagement practitioners, academics and students, artists, funders, public servants, and other engagement pioneers and community members. Because a desire for connecting people across cultural divides is showing up more and more, we are making a concerted effort to reach out to people working in and with rural communities, as well as inviting people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

We’re building on the success of our 2015 Experience Engagement conference. This video of the 2015 event gives you a taste of what to expect.

Towards a Civic Communications Ecosystem for Thriving Community

February 26, 2016 PeggyHolman

How do you tell the story of a complex, emergent experience?

It’s a question I’m pondered for years as I’ve hosted numerous gathering using Open Space Technology, a process which supports people to self-organize around what matters to them. People consistently come away saying something like, “It was life changing! You had to be there to understand.”

Last October, I helped organized Experience Engagement, a gathering at the intersection of journalism and community on behalf of Journalism That Matters, a nonprofit that I co-founded with three journalists to connect the diversity of people who care about the role of news and information in communities and democracy.

As part of the work, we used a process, Developmental Evaluation, to get at that conundrum of the telling the story. The graphic above is a visual summary of what we learned. More of it is posted here.

At the intersection of journalism, community engagement and diversity

September 13, 2014 PeggyHolman

I’ve spent this past year focused on a project of Journalism That Matters (JTM), a nonprofit I co-founded that hosts conversations to foster collaboration, innovation, and action so that a diverse news and information ecosystem can thrive.

My interest grows from a discovery I made a few years ago when looking for grant money for a project. I discovered that less than 10% of foundation funding for new journalism ventures was going to meet the needs of underserved communities. In other words, new media was even more white than traditional media! Seemed like a wakeup call was in order. engagement-CMYK

JTM partnered with the American Society of News Editors, working with three news organizations who are engaging their communities around issues related to diversity and inclusion. Their stories and more are at the Engagement Hub, a site we aspire to become a gathering place for those who see engagement as a means for making diverse voices more visible.

Our partners:

We Create Here – The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

They’ve taken an approach to reporting that begins by listening to their community. For example, to look at affordable housing, they brought together government, nonprofit and people “in the system.” In the process, they not only found stories to tell but made connections to move the dial on this challenging issue.

Unite Rochester – Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York

Starting with a “listening tour” they have sparked conversations and working groups to address entrenched challenges around employment, education, criminal justice, and housing. In the process, they are building community coalitions and optimism.

Oakland Voices – The Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California

By training community members in East Oakland to tell untold stories of where their neighborhoods, they are changing the relationship between the news organization and the community. The project is growing, working in Jackson, Mississippi and Sacramento, California.

Changing Roles in Changing Times

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 PeggyHolman

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Thanks to Jesse Lyn Stoner for inviting me to post Change Your Story, Change Your Organization to the Seapoint Center blog. It elaborates on five roles highlighted in the Berkana Institute’s Two Loops Model of Change.

Some reflections on the implications of these roles for journalists is on the Journalism That Matters site: Stories for Navigating the Waves of Change.

Enjoy!