Public journalism seeks to reconnect the media to the community by illuminating those issues that community members feel are most pressing. In this way, public journalism hopes to revitalize failing press institutions and re-engage the public in meaningful civic dialog. In a session moderated by Sue O'Brien of the Denver Post, panelists Jon Roe and Myrna Roe of the Wichita Eagle and Ed Arnone of the Kettering Foundation offered strategies for creating public journalism relationships within their communities. Jon Roe defined public journalism as the convergence of a movement within the journalism profession to get more involved with communities to better reflect their issues and solutions. It is also a movement within the community to change what and how the media portrays the community.
Traditional journalism finds and reports problems, then looks for new problems to report.
Public journalism, on the other hand, identifies issues that are important to community residents and then takes the time to work through problems and solutions. Jon Roe said there is evidence of the positive effects that public journalism can create, stating that voter turnout is consistently higher in areas where public journalism is being employed than where it is absent. Myrna Roe described how the Wichita Eagle's editorial section is working fulfill its goal of bringing public journalism to their community. First, the editors published a contract stating that they would act as a voice for citizens, and a forum for the discussion of the community's issues. Through interviews, community members indicate which of several solutions they would support in response to a particular issue.