APME National Credibility Roundtables Project
"What You Learned" Roundtable Report

What were the key issues discussed at the roundtable?
The topic of the discussion was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's coverage of the intersection of religion and education. It was chosen because Cobb County, Georgia, where Kennesaw State University is located, is part of the Bible Belt and religion is very important in residents' everyday lives. The Cobb school board voted to put stickers in science textbooks saying that evolution was "a theory not a fact." However, the topics ranged from objectivity to bias to graphic design.

Were some issues more important to readers, viewers, story subjects and sources? If so, what were they?
The reporters and editors who attended said they came away with a good appreciation for reader concerns about the paper's religion coverage. They learned people want more news on schools, particularly private schools and more news on churches and the events they hold. A couple of people mentioned diversity issues. One teacher from a public school said the paper's religious topics too often were Christian centered. A woman from a minority community said people in those communities still think the coverage of those communities could be improved.

Were there important points of agreement on coverage approaches or news philosophy that would improve the newspaper's content and its credibility? What were they?
The good news for the newspaper was the attendees agreed that the paper's Saturday Faith and Values section was well done and well received. They also agreed having discussions with the community, like this one, were important for everyone concerned.

Were there points on which roundtable participants agreed to disagree? Where were they?
Maybe the loudest complaint, especially from one attendee, was the newspaper is too biased and not objective. The reporters said they strove for objectivity and a professor from Kennesaw State University talked about how hard true objectivity is to achieve. Tuck said the newspaper tries very hard to be response to the people, and aims to listen to reader concerns.


Will the newspaper consider changes in its coverage of the roundtable issue, or in its news philosophy, as a result of the discussions? What changes? (Professors should consult with their key editor contact to answer this and other questions referring to the newspaper's actions.)
The participant who mentioned that Alabama's Ten Commandments judge was appearing at a Cobb church made a good point when she said she hadn't seen anything in our paper about it. There is definitely a place for that kind of announcement in our Cobb section, that's what community sections are for. We don't cover speeches that much but we should have announced that it was happening.

It's good for people on the news staff to hear from the community about what they'd like to see the paper take on. At the forum, we heard everything: from readers who want better visuals to readers who question our ability to report the news without bias.

Hearing from readers always helps us do our jobs better. We need to redouble our efforts to get community events publicized and to listen to readers' ideas.

How has the newspaper informed its readers of the roundtable, what happened there and what may occur because of the discussion?
Angela Tuck, the Atlanta Journal Constitution public editor, had planned to write about it in her weekly column after the Roundtable, but other events kept bumping it back until a point where it no longer seemed timely. So it never got exposure in the paper. One of those events that forced the bumping was the run-away bride story, which happened here in Georgia.

Two students produced a Video Blog of the Roundtable, which was made public on the PJNet.org, which some 6,000 unique visitors come to each month. It is viewable at: http://pjnet.org/weblogs/pjnettoday/archives/000688.html

As you will see they had fun putting this together, using some of the new citizen journalism tools that make everyone a potential content provider.


INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLASS AND THE STUDENTS:

What did your students learn from putting on a roundtable?
In this class the students went out into the community. First to hear from officials and then from the citizens themselves. The roundtable played well into this scenario. One student, Andrew Wilson, wrote:
Personally, the stories and the roundtable were productive exercises in community awareness...I learned aspects regarding housing, education and poverty in my community that I did not know existed. I was provided an opportunity to hone my group decision making and communication skills along with the challenge of putting on an event for the community. I also gained first-hand experience in what goes into writing journalistic type stories.

I thought it was very interesting to have the opportunity to combine the story writing experience with the perspectives and attitudes of the media professionals at the roundtable. My personal opinion is that the editors and decision makers of the newspaper are too far removed from the authenticity of the stories...

And this from Matt Cutrona, the student moderator:
I saw an event shape up to be one of the proudest moments of my college tenure. I actually felt like I was making a difference with something. Throughout the general education classes at any college, a student can lose sight of why college is such an important part of life. This event gave me assurance that college was the right path for me. Everyone can make a difference, even if it's small.

And this from student Kit Lowery:
I am glad I had the opportunity to see something like this. It is not very often that a college student gets to see so many different views and opinions being expressed.

What worked well in having the students organize and facilitate the roundtable?
From the professor's viewpoint?
I tried to stay in the background as much as possible. The students did all the organizing from finding the venue, inviting the reporters, to getting the right caterer. The student moderator told how he had trouble sleeping the night before and the person who was coordinating the invitees was sweating it out to the last minute when just about everyone of the 24 invitees showed up. This was an important event for the students. They took it seriously. They received a hands-on learning experience, while getting insight into how journalists and the public think. This public journalism oriented class aimed to help students hear professional points of view compared to the public's view. This roundtable was a perfect exercise in fulfilling that process.

From the newspaper's viewpoint?
Angela Tuck: The students did a fairly good job on organizing the panel. It would have been better if they'd been clearer on the purpose of the panel and gotten the packets out in the mail a little earlier. I didn't get my packet until days before the event. On our end, we should have done a better job of nailing down the AJC staffers who were going to participate early on. We'll do better at future forums, but I thought we ended up with a good representation and I hope the information was informative.


What would you do differently if you had another class work on a roundtable?
I blame myself for not pushing the students to do a little more PR so the project got more visibility. But other than that it was a very successful event especially from the viewpoint of the students and the public who attended.


INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEWSPAPER:

What was important for the university to offer to gain the newspaper's cooperation?
Kennesaw State University has a lot to offer to the media community in Georgia. And we have a lot to gain from working with that media community. The staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution got to see our students at work. We got to be a liaison between the community and the newspaper. It was just a great learning experience for all involved.

What was important for the newspaper to provide to help the university and the professor?

Angela Tuck: The credibility roundtable was a win-win for the community folks in attendance as well as our reporters and editors. It was also good for the students to hear about the challenges faced by the industry they are considering becoming a part of.

Do you have any other advice for professors who would like to do a roundtable? If so, please include it here.
Start practicing early. Have the students run a mock roundtable among themselves with the students getting the moderator involved. Our practice session was crucial. In it the moderator talked way too much. We pointed that out and by the time of the real event, he did an excellent job.

Also capitalize on the student's individual abilities. One student, for example, has a band and did a great job in setting up the recording for the event. Try to be sure each student has a task in the planning and on the day of the event. Then they all feel ownership. Also set up a public relations strategy on campus and in the community.