Blog / Archives

Journalists can play a pivotal role in Detroit’s rebirth

A “Grand Bargain” dreamed up by a federal judge and funded by a covey of foundations has helped to rescue the city of Detroit from bankruptcy and $18 billion in debts. Now comes the hard part: rebuilding the public’s trust in government and the schools, repairing frayed relations among various racial and other groups, and wooing new residents, businesses and investors. That means changing people’s perceptions about Detroit, making people believe that it is the place to be, rather than to flee. How journalists portray Detroit as it emerges from bankruptcy will have a big impact on the public’s perceptions, not just locally, but nationally as well.

Reinventing an ethnic newspaper as a cultural institution

While daily newspapers across the country battle for their lives, a scrappy little ethnic newspaper in San Francisco's Japantown is discovering new ways to survive. It is the Nichi Bei Weekly, and it's become my poster child for the special role that ethnic news media can play in their communities.

The Equity Reporting Project: Restoring the Promise of Education

Renaissance Journalism has selected 31 talented journalists to participate in its national fellowship program aimed at addressing the educational opportunity gap. The Equity Reporting Project: Restoring the Promise of Education seeks to stimulate in-depth reporting and robust community engagement about the profound disparity in access to educational resources and opportunities — both inside and outside of schools — between the rich and the poor.