What Civic Life Offers Journalists
THROUGHOUT THIS WORK, JOURNALISTS WILL WANT – indeed need – to refer to the civic life frameworks found in this section. They provide the foundation for tapping into a community’s civic life and mapping it.
#1 EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF CIVIC LIFE.
Based on the Wichita experience and other Harwood Group projects, there are five layers of civic life that journalists will want to explore and understand.
#2 MAKING SENSE OF DIFFERENT AREAS.
Not all neighborhoods or areas of a community are the same. In this framework, The Harwood Group highlights important insights from Wichita and how journalists might distinguish the nature of different areas in a community.
#3 IDENTIFYING TYPES OF COMMUNITY LEADERS.
Often leaders are primarily thought to be elected officials, but within a community there are at least four key types of leaders who are important for journalists to engage when tapping into a community’s civic life.
#4 ENGAGING PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY.
Tapping into a community’s civic life is about more than showing up at new places and listening. Journalists must engage people to gain a deep understanding of their lives, concerns, and how they relate to community life.
GETTING STARTED QUESTIONS
When reviewing each of the frameworks on civic life, think about the
following questions. At some point, it is a good idea to bring together
the people involved in this work to have a conversation about their
thoughts and reactions to these questions and the frameworks.
1.
When thinking about each of these frameworks,
what are your thoughts and reactions?
2.
Try to fill in the frameworks and think about how
the insights relate to your work. What happens?
READ THE NEXT SECTION OF THE WORKBOOK — EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF CIVIC LIFE