Defining Engagement
Last fall, Southern California Public Radio (LAist) and the American Press Institute announced the launch of Operationalizing Engaged Journalism, a yearlong, Knight Foundation-funded program designed to make the practice of engaged journalism in local public media newsrooms part of day-to-day operations and integral to the business model.
One hurdle to operationalizing engagement? Getting to a shared definition.
Engagement is a term that’s thrown around in journalism — and beyond — sometimes speaking to fundraising, website traffic, social media, newsletters, or deep listening.
I long ago came to employ a more fluid definition of engagement, as I shared with the participants from WBEZ, WBUR, MPR, and LAist in the first of four all-cohort meetings spread out over the course of a year.
I am also a fan of the language Lindsay Green-Barber of Impact Architects has used: “Engaged journalism is an inclusive practice that prioritizes the information needs and wants of the community members it serves, creates collaborative space for the audience in all aspects of the journalistic process, and is dedicated to building and preserving trusting relationships between journalists and the public.”
For each of the newsrooms participating in the program it became important to find a definition that would allow their organizations a working, shared understanding that could inform the development of more regular engagement routines — and pathways to revenue.
Below, we’ll share each newsroom’s definition as well as reflections from team members.
WBEZ
Engaged journalism is a journalistic process that starts by identifying and listening to specific communities before any reporting and production. That community input informs what we cover, what we make and how we make it. At WBEZ, our engaged journalism provides practical, actionable utility to the people we serve.
The work to create a shared definition of engaged journalism at WBEZ was part of a broader effort to create an engagement playbook. As engagement editor Alex Keefe shared, “People responded better to the definition as it got more literal. Nothing really about goals or mission or hoity-toity principles — just the facts of what this is.
“The value of having a definition is that now our coworkers actually know what we do! Engagement or engaged journalism is a term thrown around so willy-nilly in our industry that it’s become kind of a journalistic Rorschach test. Having a clear definition that we drafted with key folks from up, down and across our organization has been central in getting other teams and departments bought into engaged journalism in our shop.”
LAist
The LAist definition of engaged journalism will look familiar. The team from LAist that participated in Operationalizing Engaged Journalism incorporated LAist’s preexisting definition as it offered staff a robust menu detailing ways journalists can work independently or with the engagement team to connect with community members.
Engaged journalism is a practice that emphasizes closing the gap between communities and the journalists who aim to serve them; serving those who may not already consume your journalism; thinking differently about story selection, framing, and distribution; and shaping stories with community members.
In other words, engaged journalism is about removing barriers for participation and creating a welcoming space so that more people can have access to the information they need to be their own best advocates. It ensures our content is useful, relevant and accessible to an ever-expanding number of Southern Californians. This can lead to audience and revenue growth, but that’s not the only reason SCPR does this work. It helps us understand the role we play in the Los Angeles information ecosystem.
Education editor Ross Brenneman spoke to the value of a shared understanding of just what it means to do engagement:
“To adjust the journalistic principles of a newsroom, we have to know what goals we want to achieve and be able to communicate them — including a clear definition. Because there will be questions. Lots of questions. We also have to be able to move the discussion from philosophy to practice. Our newsroom has made progress on this by developing an Engagement Menu, which offers examples of engaged journalism tactics, along with clear expectations for what kind of time and effort it takes to exercise those tactics. We also update it when possible, to keep it fresh and to address feedback. This clarity is a boon to a newsroom — people who feel like they don’t even know where to begin, often don’t.”
WBUR
Engaged journalism brings people deeper into critical civic reporting through inclusive and welcoming practices. It prioritizes community members’ information needs and wants and facilitates collaboration with them. Establishing and preserving public trust and connection is at the core of engaged journalism.
At WBUR, our commitment to engaged journalism includes expanding and better serving Greater Boston’s increasingly diverse communities through representation that reflects the region (newsroom staffing, published sources and audiences) and inclusive approaches for community reporting — and closing the loop with audiences.
The WBUR definition of engaged journalism is one that has been shared with its editorial division and executive team and is now baked into the content roadmap for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in July. Chief content officer Victor Hernandez says that through defining engaged journalism for the organization, they’ve been able to create more entry points for colleagues eager to engage but previously unsure how to do it.
MPR
Deputy managing editor Michael Olson shares that MPR’s definition “builds upon years of collaborative work in the space, drawing insights from the Public Insight Network, the Impact Architects, Hearken, and most recently, our own collaborative sessions with OEJ partners from LAist, WBUR and WBEZ.” He continues, “”In fostering a culture of engaged journalism within newsrooms, it’s critical to recognize and appreciate the existing practices that are already contributing to this effort. Engaged journalism is good journalism and there are examples of it in newsrooms serving the public interest all across the world. It is equally important for newsrooms and journalists to be nimble and contribute to innovation in this space with better techniques, technology and the ability to measure impact. It is clear that engaged journalism is at the core of a sustainable future for public media and those working in public interest journalism.”
Engaged journalism is an inclusive and collaborative approach to news reporting that deeply values community participation and representation. It prioritizes the information needs and curiosity of its audience, ensuring that the news produced is both relevant and impactful for the community it serves. The practice involves the audience in every facet of the journalistic process, from story ideation to content creation, thereby fostering a deeper connection and sense of ownership among community members. It’s a commitment to nurturing trustful relationships between journalists and the public, with a focus on transparency and responsiveness. Ultimately, engaged journalism aims to create a more informed, involved, and trustful public dialogue.
***
What is the definition that your newsroom uses? What have you found most helpful?
The Operationalizing Engaged Journalism team consists of Ashley Alvarado, Nation Hahn, Amy Kovac-Ashley, Kristen Muller, and Emily Ristow.
