For more information about the program and the trainer, see the national website's writeup about this program here. We feel sure you will find it a very effective use of your time and attention.

The Civic Commons, a social network designed specifically for civic good, was founded in in Cleveland 2010 with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Fund for Our Economic Future. The site provides the place and the tools for citizens and stakeholders to deliberate and take action to strengthen their communities. The Civic Commons partners with organizations to help engage their target groups.

Since the Civic Commons went online, it has hosted over 650 conversations on a broad range of topics from starting a community garden, to fighting gerrymandering to Presidential debates, and has attracted over 145,000 visits and more than 70,000 unique visitors.

After this vicious election cycle, it's hard to imagine a civil conversation about politics. So how about an entire website devoted to that elusive beast?

The Civic Commons.com aims to bring civility back to our public discourse, with a site designed explicitly for civil conversations about improving our communities.

The website, sometimes described as Facebook for social good, is "built for giving a permanent home to sustained thoughtful conversations about the problems we face and how we can solve them," said Mike Shafarenko, president of the Civic Commons. What the site is not for is "the exchange of talking points that passes for conversation on TV, or the disjointed diatribes found on media comment boards."

The conversations remain respectful and productive due largely to the initial tone set by the site's creators and the fact there is a moderator, the curator of conversation, who keeps the conversations moving and occasionally offers a gentle reprimand to preserve the intended tone.

With a set of posted principles such as transparency, civility and credibility, the site has grappled with issues as controversial as fracking or ballot measures about school funding and has had only a handful of inappropriate comments over the two years since going live. "It's pretty amazing, really," said Dan Moulthrop, the curator of conversation. "Even the few nasty posts we've flagged have been more disrespectful than vicious or profane."

In contrast with sites like Change.org which focus on "clicktivism" -- getting as many people as possible to click on a petition for a predetermined outcome -- the Civic Commons is built to leverage the combined thinking power of the community in pursuit of the best possible solutions.

"We're designed for open deliberation. Where Change.org engages your fingers, we want to engage your mind," offered Daryl Rowland, communications director for The Civic Commons. "Conversations are the way many great ideas start."

Once users set a goal or plan, the site then provides tools and a specialized social network to support taking action. Current tools include voting and petitions and more are on the way.

Issues that find a home on the Civic Commons can be large or small and range from the easy-to-support to the highly controversial. One of the most contentious conversations on the site was a three-day online forum about fracking, which brought together stakeholders with deeply divided passions about mining shale gas and its impact on the economy and the environment. The spirited forum included gas industry executives, environmentalists, academics, engineers, experts, government officials and citizens. While the participants did not always agree, they shared facts and concerns, floated solutions and managed a positive and civil tone throughout.

Government and business interests have also turned to the Civic Commons to play the role of neutral convener for potentially divisive conversations. Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman and a consortium of stakeholders redeveloping Cleveland's historic Flats district contracted with the Civic Commons to lead their community engagement. An online conversation brought together businesses, government, residents and community members to re-imagine the future of the district. Tenants of subsidized housing expressed their need for better sidewalks and a neighborhood supermarket, business interests outlined current and future economic opportunities and through a civilized dialogue a consensus document emerged that became the basis for a more inclusive development plan.

The Civic Commons has provided similar services for academic institutions. When Kent State University was developing its Academic Strategic Plan, the administration partnered with the Civic Commons to pose questions about the university's future to faculty, staff and students, through a series of online conversations that brought more than 2,000 community members to the site.

Individual citizens have taken to the Civic Commons for local causes. Joe Baur, a young filmmaker, was outraged over a plan to build a skywalk connecting Cleveland's new Horseshoe Casino to a parking structure, which he believes would discourage a vibrant street life. He started an online conversation, which engaged the community in a productive exchange exploring the merits and drawbacks of the potential bridge. When the consensus grew for taking action against the structure, Baur used the Civic Commons' built-in petition tools to gather signatures. The petition attracted more more than 100 signatures, garnered media coverage from two TV stations, and started an ongoing movement to block the plan.

Keep your eyes open for the new SPJ Webinar Data Visualization Basics starting March 12.

 

Even if you are not a designer or digital expert, you can tell visual stories with data using the training offered in this course. It's free to SPJ members!

 

Stay tuned for Registration details. We'll let you know as soon as they are available In the meantime click here for additional training opportunities while you wait. 

 

If you're not an SPJ member yet  click here to join and take advantage of this and many more benefits. 

It's time again for the annual Black Hole awards. Who this year is going to win the dubious honor of creating the worst abuse of the public's right to information?  

 

To win a Black Hole Award you can't just make it difficult for someone to find what they have a right to know, you have to:

• Clearly violate a federal or state open-government law
• Know that you are walking all over the public's rights, endangering their welfare or placing your political or personal good over theirs. 
• Your violation should have an impact on the public, not just one person. 

 

Read about 2012's winners here  

 

The deadline for entries is Feb. 18. For more information and to submit your nomination click here

 

 

This month learn how the Record Searchlight in Redding, California collected pay information for its area's public employees and created a database that included not only base salary and benefits but also the amount taxpayers pay for: 

 

• employee benefits
• retirement
• overtime
• issuance of agency owned cars, laptops, tablets or mobile phones

 

Presenter Jenny Espino, a multimedia journalist for the Record Searchlight, will cover

 

• Understanding the data 
• Building your database
• Crafting your request for information 
• Illustrating your findings

When: Feb. 20 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

 

Where: Online Here!

 

Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government?

 

Are you a high school student in grades 9 to 12 who has an answer to this question?  Write an essay of 300 to 500 words and submit it to SPJ by March 7 and you could win a $1,000 scholarship.

 

Be warned. This contest is nationwide and you'll have some stiff competition. For some that will be the best reason of all to give it a try and for others it'll be the chance to express commitment to continuing the freedoms we have that many others don't. 

 

Whatever your motivation you can download the entry form here and send it to:

 

High School Essay Contest
Society of Professional Journalists
3909 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46208  

along with a $5 entry fee.  

 

Here's a link that gives more information and also shows last year's winners.  Good luck!

Check the Journalist's Tool box for a link to over 100 infographic tools and resources. 

 

Don't spend your time searching all over the internet. If you're an SPJ member click here to access what you need in one place.  

What:  Communications Postgraduate Internship - writing, marketing, social media and public relations

 

Ideal Candidate: Recent masters or bachelors college graduate

When: 

 

Application deadline: Feb. 15, 5 p.m. ET

 

Anticipated start date: June 3

 

Length of Internship: 1 year from the start date.

 

Where: Indianapolis

 

Competitive Salary, benefits and paid leave

 

Primary duties will include:

 

- working with SPJ's board and staff to create and distribute internal and external messages.

- managing, maintaining, building and expanding SPJ's social media presence.

- assisting in marketing and promoting all of SPJ's products and services.

- organizing media inquiries, interviews and helping to prepare board members and leaders for media opportunities.

- providing editorial content for all of SPJ's communications vehicles, including its website, member magazine (Quill) and weekly e-newsletter.

 

 

Job-specific requirements:

 

- Experience using social media and ability to keep SPJ audiences engaged and informed through multiple digital communications channels.

- Knowledge of the journalism industry and the current issues facing its practitioners.

- Ability to multi-task and prioritize projects.

- Must be a self-starter who brings ideas to the table and is able to assist other staffers when needed.

- Demonstrate effective writing skills, often translating legal, ethical, freedom of information and diversity issues into meaningful messages for the public to understand.

- Ability to post content to our website and engage journalists and the public through relevant social media platforms.

- Curiosity and willingness to learn about the journalism/communications field in a non-profit setting.

- Proficiency in AP Style is a plus.

 

How to apply:

 

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, résumé, 3-5 writing samples relevant to this job description and three professional references to Tara Puckey via:

 

1. Google Drive

 

Upload your application materials and share them with tpuckey@spj.org. You are responsible for making sure the application is accessible.

 

2. Mail-in option

 

Society of Professional Journalists

ATTN: Tara Puckey

3909 N. Meridian St.

Indianapolis, IN 46208

 

For more information

 

 

'Immigration in the Heartland'

Justice & Journalism Institute  

Applications are now being accepted for "Immigration in the Heartland: Children and Families,", the 2013 program from the Institute for Justice and Journalism. The deadline to apply is Feb. 22.

  

IJJ will chose 15 journalists to attend the week long conference from April 21-25 at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The program offers tools and training to help journalists create deeper and more vibrant stories about immigrants in their regions. 

 

Applicants must offer an idea for a project about immigrant children that will either be published or broadcast. Those chosen will be given $500 when the story, as well an account of how it was written, is completed. 

 

For the past 4 years IJJ, in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College has offered this "Immigration in the Heartland" conference as an opportunity to discuss national immigration subjects. The focus is on Midwestern states where the population of newcomers to America is growing the fastest

 

Founded in 2000, IJJ is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening social justice journalism. They offer: fellowships, workshops, digital resources and direct story support. 

 

For more information and to download an application form click here.

 

Greater Cleveland Volunteers (www.greaterclevelandvolunteers.org) is a non-profit agency that provides volunteers for over 130 non-profit agencies in Cleveland, one-day community events, literacy tutors and mentors for elementary school students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The volunteer will work with Greater Cleveland Volunteers staff to perform several tasks for the marketing, communications and branding of the organization. The schedule is flexible and some work can be completed off-site. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:  Interview volunteers and partner agency staff and write bi-monthly newsletter articles Assist in the graphic design and layout of the agency newsletter and various print publications Will have the opportunity to assist in other communication needs (social media, promotion and/or special events) Take digital photographs off-site of volunteers in action 

 POSITION REQUIREMENTS: The individual should be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook and Publisher) or other graphic design software; digital photography and experience in journalism or other communications writing. 

CONTACT: Greater Cleveland Volunteers Dianna Kall Communications and Special Events Coordinator dkall@greaterclevelandvolunteers.org 216-391-9500 x 115

MARKETING INTERN - NORDSON Info and

Check Kelly Blazek's website for advice on job-hunting and details on jobs in marketing, public and media relations, development, media, graphics/web design and more. Many of the jobs listed at left are reprinted from Blazek's newsletter.  

The jobs on Blazek's list are ONLY in communications related occupations.

 

Laurie Mitchell Marketing & Communications Executive Search has been retained for the following assignments:

 

Marketing Program Manager/Software Lead Generation

Channel Marketing Manager/DIY/Big Box
4 Marketing Managers & Directors/Financial Services
AD Agency Copywriter/3-6 years experience
Kitchen Designer/High End Showrom
Competitive Intelligence & Market Analyst
AD Agency Account Supervisor/CPG
Digital Producer w/PM & Web Development experience
2 PR Agency Account Supervisors/NEO
Pharma/Med-Ed Account Manager
Digital Sr. AE/Toledo
Sr. Digital Art Director/Toledo

 

 To apply for any of these current searches, please email your resume as a single Word file to

MitchellCo17@aol.com

www.LaurieMitchellCompany.com 

 216-292-9936