(2010-08-15) Rosen The Citizens Agenda In Campaign Coverage

Jay Rosen: The Citizen's Agenda in Campaign Coverage. Ten Steps to a Better Narrative. (Pr)

1.) Four to six months before the vote start asking the electorate a simple question

what do you want the candidates to be discussing as they compete for votes in this year’s election?

2.) To answer this question, you will need every method known to the modern newsroom

compose an initial draft of the citizen’s agenda, in the form of 6 to 10 items ideally framed as questions that consume 50 words or less

An example from the New York State Governor’s race: Our schools are not performing: New York’s public schools spend more per student than any other state. But New York ranks 40th among the states in the percentage of high-school students that graduate. Why is this and what do we need to do to change it? (46 words)

publish the ranked list as your Citizens Agenda

citizens agenda is your working template and master narrative for election coverage

When the candidates speak, map what they said against the citizens agenda. When you have an opportunity to question the candidates, ask them questions that flow from the citizens agenda

What campaign coverage should achieve is serious discussion (among candidates, journalists, campaign observers… and the public) of the stuff on the citizen’s agenda.

Be prepared for conflict with the candidates and their staffs. Their job is to win the election, to improve their chances and cripple the other guy. If that means supporting confusion, ignorance, neglect, demagoguery or silence on certain issues, they will not hesitate to do that.

In order for the citizens agenda to work, you have to get it right. You have to be authoritative. The 6 to 10 items on the citizens agenda have to resonate with most voters, and actually reflect what’s on their minds.