What do the words economic vibrancy mean to you? Do more jobs, lower debt, higher wages, lower poverty, trade, or something completely different come to mind? This definition varies from person to person, as our media collaborative learned by talking with Ohioans. But before communities can start pursuing economic vibrancy, whatever that may look like, it’s important for people to understand their economic reality. To explore how journalists could help create a shared understanding of Ohio’s economy, we hosted a 3 day Citizens Jury in Columbus.
Beginning Friday, September 14, 2018, and extending through Sunday, September 16, we convened a demographically-balanced panel of twenty-three Ohio residents. The participants were asked to explore this question over the course of the weekend:
What roles might journalists play in supporting healthy, thriving, and vibrant communities, and how can they fulfill those roles?
The group listened to experts who provided an overview of Ohio’s economic history, future outlook, and indicators of growth. They also heard from a panel of journalists, who discussed how they create economic stories and share data with readers.
Creating solutions
After taking the time to soak in this new information and ask questions, participants worked together to create recommendations for the future of economic reporting. The top opportunity for journalist-community collaboration was to “Strengthen relationships between journalists and community members by increasing two-way communication, focusing on in-person events and meetings, increasing responsiveness to issues of community importance, and increasing diversity among journalists.”
At the end of the weekend, participants were asked to draft a shared statement to their community about their experience. Here’s one part:
If we want change, we have to invest in people and in our communities. Our shared challenges are not that daunting if we communicate openly, sharing our different ideas and viewpoints.
To read more about the project, participants, process, and recommendations, download the event report..