Making Important News Interesting : Reporting Public Affairs in the 21st Century

Preface 8(2) Introduction 10(6) PART 1: THE PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING Put People in Charge 16(15) Show citizens that they control their government --- and that officials are people, too Report Problems AND Solutions 31(12) Focus on how officials and citizens can solve public problems together Let Stakeholders Speak 43(11) Give voice to the diverse array of people affected by public decisions Take Citizens Side 54(16) Insist on honesty, so citizens have a clear picture of reality Use News to Teach 70(16) Find opportunities to make readers smarter about the world Help People Act 86(8) Give citizens the tools to get involved in public decisions Refuse to Be Boring 94(22) Break the rules to get people's attention for important news PART 2: THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING Elections 116(25) Educate voters on the big issues and the candidates' fitness to handle them Local News 141(16) Find news in the community, then turn to institutions State and National News 157(12) Focus on the substance and impact of political issues World News 169(12) Help people see how events around the globe can affect their lives Business News 181(13) Explain the role of private commerce in public policy Opinion Pages 194(14) Create an energetic hub for honest conversation in your community PART 3: THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING The Online Revolution 208(11) Take advantage of the Internet's power to inform and engage citizens Reinventing Journalism 219(15) It's up to you whether tomorrow's journalism strengthens democracy, or squanders it End Notes 234(12) Resources 246(2) Acknowledgments 248(1) Index 249