And they go beyond those tools to engage people in living room conversations and town hall meetings. For example, the Pew Center recently commissioned a research firm to help learn about the issues that are on people's minds this election year. Superficially the picture resembles the state of public opinion four years ago but there are important differences. Back then we saw raw anger at the depressed state of the economy, and eventually that anger was focused on President Bush. Now there is a real sense of relief that prosperity has returned and the economy is strong but people have not forgotten the lay-offs and downsizing that effected their job security and some are afraid it may happen again.
People worry about the values their kids are getting in school and from the tube.
They can't be at home to supervise their TV viewing habits. Civic journalists are trying to plug back into their communities, to cross the gap that has opened and widened between the news media and their readers and viewers. At a time when newsrooms everywhere are under tremendous pressure to reduce costs, to shrink newshole, to cram ever more stories into thirty-minute news programs, deep, thoughtful reporting, which goes beyond the easy journalistic formulas is becoming rarer, especially at smaller, struggling news operations throughout the country. And even at some bigger newspapers hobbled by the bean counters at their chain's corporate headquarters. Civic journalists broaden their agenda from the usual overwhelming focus on political and governmental news to aggressively ferret out issues of interest to citizens who are not members of the elite.