The response was overwhelming. Reporter Laura Saari said afterward that what amazed her was how everyone was working together toward a solution. A similar story, told in a conventional way, would have put government agencies on the defensive. But because of the writing approach, no one felt like they were being blamed. So instead of wasting energy defending themselves, they've hit the street.
Civic journalism is about redefining balance.
Journalists report two sides of a story and believe it's fair and balanced. Civic journalists suggest that a better term is bipolar, not balanced, coverage. Balance is in the middle, not at the extremes. Civic journalists try to ensure that all the people affected by the issue have a voice in the story, not just the proponents of the most extreme viewpoints who send us their press releases. And civic journalists are not afraid to report on ambiguity, when people are still working out how they feel.