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Doing Public Journalism
Doing Public Journalism Reviewed by Nicole Redman Arthur Charity, former editorial writer and columnist for the Ottawa
Citizen argues in Doing Public Journalism that journalists
should be responsible citizens who with "the power of the press
empower others besides the press". He builds his case by using the experiences of over three dozen
newspapers, a wide array of organizations outside of journalism,
plus the visions of writers like Daniel Yankelovich, David Matthews
and other reporters "on citizen behavior and pragmatic democracy". The book contains solid introductions to each chapter, useful sidebars,
and case studies that are boxed within the text Most sections end
with a feature called "Pushing the Envelope" which proposes
ways of building on past work. These useful features allow Doing
Public Journalism to be used as a classroom text. (The Teacher's
Guide is available free of charge). With chapters such as "Public Listening, News Coverage, Public
Judgment and Helping Citizens Act", Charity stresses the importance
of attending to and comprehending citizens' concerns, honing and
defining them, thus providing arenas of deliberation with the aim
of facilitating essential social change. For the budding journalist striving to write and also produce responsible
work or the average citizen intending to utilize the forums that
public journalism can provide this book can be a much needed guide.
In Public Journalism citizens with worthwhile causes have found
active and unexpected support among journalists. The final chapter discusses public journalism as a profession and
a business. There are very helpful references at the back, and in
the Index there are short specialized guides which would be very
helpful for both experts and scholars in fields which this book
draws on for its numerous examples. Charity succeeds in telling us that "public journalism is about making the community a better place to live".
Published in Sources, Number 42, Summer 1998.
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