News

28 Oct Journalism That Matters/Pacific Northwest

How can the public and the press help each other?

The action-oriented conversations known as Journalism that Matters (JTM) are coming to the northwest for their first geographically focused gathering to seed the connection between journalism and civic engagement in our region.

January 7-10, 2010, some 150 editors, writers, broadcasters, bloggers, producers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, students, digital entrepreneurs, media activists, community journalists, public advocates and public-policy experts will gather at the University of Washington to re-imagine news and community in the Pacific Northwest.

WHY NOW?

The impetus for JTM-Pacific Northwest is this call to action: Journalism is at a crossroads.  What will support its basic values, while adapting its practice to new economic, social and technological realities?  Across the nation, dozens of people are experimenting with new forms of local, web-based journalism and community building.  The northwest is alive with media innovations that can help us understand what is happening in the nation’s traditional and emerging news organizations to ensure the vitality of “journalism that matters” that serves the public.

ANSWERING THE CALL

In partnership with the UW Department of Communication and its Masters of Communication in Digital Media program, we shall convene some of the best minds in the region to:
*  Understand the promise – and pitfalls – of the emerging news ecology – the information exchange among the public, government, and institutions that informs, inspires, engages, and activates
*  Foster lasting connections among regional journalists and the communities they serve
*  Surface new partnerships and innovations for a healthy northwest and national ecosystem

WHAT WE’LL ACHIEVE

*  Greater clarity and commitment to the many projects and ideas participants bring with them
*  New and unexpected partnerships between participants
*  Journalism innovations seeded throughout the northwest
*  Deeper understanding of emerging relationships among journalism, communities, and democracy
*  Beginnings of a community of practice among people in the northwest who care about journalism and civic engagement

SPJ Board Member Tracy Record will be a part of the program.

For more information and to register, visit: www.journalismthatmatters.org