(2019-06-14) Rosen Key Steps In The Citizens Agenda Style Of Campaign Coverage

Jay Rosen: Key steps in the citizens agenda style of campaign coverage. WBUR collaborates on election coverage with New Hampshire Public Radio, which attended the meeting as well. For an academic, the opportunity to float an alternative model to people who could soon put it into practice is not something you turn down.

Here’s the whiteboard I used. On it, the citizens agenda style in campaign coverage is broken down into steps. These are the key steps:

(Need an example? Go here.)

WBUR has a pollster who joined the meeting. He said with internet polling it’s plausible to poll for, What do you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes? (This was the most interesting thing I learned that day.)

The agenda is an editorial product, a synthesis. It involves art and judgment, not just data.