Tnj-consensus

Consensus statement work

• What consensus statement(s) could foster collaborative action toward a community-sustaining “new stories” ecosystem?

1. 1. Define the ecosystem in terms of principles
2. 2. Identify actions that embody those principles

Properties essential to a sustainable system

Properties of Outlets

1. Journalistic Ethics (Accuracy and credibility. Need to be able to convince the public of shared set of facts.) -> How to measure good journalism
2. Sustainable revenue models
3. Community on all sides (Readers, funders)
4. Editors that prioritize news that serves the community.
5. Journalists that wish to empower and educate.
6. Diverse funding sources -> Can news be considered a utility?
7. Strong firewalls
8. Diversity in where journalists come from and see themselves (citizen, professional)
9. Adequate audience
10. Risk-taking outlets / go against the zeitgeist and public opinion
11. Outlets take on a diversity of roles

• Communication between government and the public

Properties of Institutions within the ecosystem being studied

1. Transparency of the institutions they are holding accountable

Properties of the readers

1. High readership
2. High civic literacy - Media literate public (SUNY, Queens University)
3. High Digital literacy
4. High civic engagement (since it drags everything else along with it.)

• Relevance - You cover the right story
• You offer media literacy
• Diversity - Natural diversity of voices
• Institutional transparency
• Civic Health

Properties of the ecosystem

1. Channels to share content
2. Number and diversity of voices
3. Diverse funding sources
4. Audience concentrators / mechanisms to gain reach.
5. Reward Risktaking
6. Instability / experimentation.

Authored by Tom Glaisyer