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From debate questions to man-on-the-street interviews, from town halls to video kiosks, stations are finding increasingly innovative ways to let the voters speak.
 
 What My Tax Dollars Buy
Wisconsin Public Television  Madison, Wis.
watch clip|clip run time » 3:24
Andy Soth uses a first-person style to document how the benefits and costs of government and politics are a part of his everyday life.
Seeds of Change
WNET New York, N.Y.
clip run time » 3:41
WNETs New York Voices show included this story about a Brooklyn daffodil garden planted in honor of September 11. This portrait of the New Yorkers who came together in this community response makes the connection between big events and real people.
Campaign Volunteers
 Sacramento, California
clip run time » 2:00
Get a glimpse inside the scenes of the campaign with this look at the volunteers that make things run. Ask the question why do you volunteer and youll hear from citizens who are committed to politics.
Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker
WFAA  Dallas, Texas
clip run time » 1:53
What do small-business owners have to say about the economy? Doug Fox filed this story the day of the presidents State of the Union address, and his choice of three particular businesses is what makes it memorable.
Personalizing Prescription Drug Coverage
WLVT Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
clip run time » 6:12
Prescription drugs are a perennial issue in campaigns across the country. Reporter Jeff Chirico combines the Truth Check approach with a very personal story of an older couple facing high monthly prescription costs. It's a nice way to present the issue in a way that viewers can relate to, then investigate details of the politicians proposed plans to see what will work.
Time to Choose: Interviews 50¢
clip run time » 4:32
NPR correspondent Alex Chadwick traveled around the country in 2000 armed with a card table and a sign: Interviews 50¢. His talks with citizens about voting and candidates make up this excerpt from the Time to Choose PBS/NPR election special. Its an innovative, playful way to listen to peoples opinions often quite insightful of politics, and can work anywhere.
San Jose INS Office
 Oakland, California
clip run time » 5:03
Just as Congress was contemplating dividing the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two separate agencies, Randy Shandobil reported on the INS office in San Jose, California. The piece is notable for the way Shandobil brings in the voices of people affected by the INS black hole bureaucracy including memorable visuals of applicants waiting in line at 4 a.m.
Everyday Politics: Lucky and Angel
The Working Group : Oakland, California
clip run time » 6:12
People often express a disinterest in politics because they feel it doesnt affect their daily lives. To show how much of a typical day is dependent on political decisions, producer Patrice ONeill of The Working Group in California produced this piece especially for one of our Best Practices in Journalism workshops. She follows a family through the day, noting how local laws intersect with their home, their job, their kids schools, and more. It makes the connection between government and our lives, and viewers may find the story as told through a local family to be appealing and understandable.
Unfinished Business/Can They Do It?: Housing & Schools
WNBC New York, New York
air date » 3-7.Sep.01
Schools run time » 5:24
Housing run time » 10:17
In the week before the New York Mayoral primary, WNBC ran five expanded segments covering issues important to voters. Political reporter Jay DeDapper and government affairs reporter Melissa Russo teamed up on each piece. They begin by describing through personal stories a particular piece of unfinished business (these clips feature improving schools and creating affordable housing; they also did welfare, public safety, and jobs/economy). This is followed with statements by each of the six candidates, declaring how they would solve the problem. The reporters then evaluate the feasibility of these campaign claims. Its an effective way of combining citizen voices and truth checks in an issues piece.
[DeDapper notes that compared to the previous week, ratings were up in this quarter-hour. For the week, the show averaged a full rating point higher.]
Two Story Approaches: Traffic
developed for BPJ by NewsLab : Washington, D.C.
clip run time » 4:15
In these two stories produced by NewsLab for a BPJ workshop, reporter Elliot Lewis shows us differing approaches to covering an important local issue traffic. The first clip reflects a fairly standard way of presenting the positions and goals of the two Virginia gubernatorial candidates. By comparison, the second clip builds a framework using a citizen driving to work. The result is more memorable, more meaningful to viewers.
Speakers Corner Question in a Debate
KCPT & KCTV  Kansas City, Missouri
air date » 21.July.00
clip run time » 0:50
The partnership between Kansas Citys CBS affiliate KCTV and the public station KCPT has made excellent use of KCTVs Speakers Corner video kiosk. The camera booth is set up in public areas around the city (coffee shops, grocery stores, shopping malls) and is accessible to everyone. In this clip, a question from an art-education student is used in a Board of Education debate.
The Box
KCTS Seattle, Washington
clip run time » 6:46
KCTS travelled to gatherings around the countrya cowboy reunion, the Special Olympics, Grand Central Stationwith a kiosk similar to a do-it-yourself photo booth. They invited people to speak in the privacy of the booth about diversity, acceptance, and difference. The intriguing, provocative, and deeply personal monologues are blended with atmospheric scenes shot during the events. PBS has developed a number of these pieces into their diversity campaign.
Bay Window: Voting
KQED San Francisco, California
clip run times » ~1:00
When KQEDs Bay Window wanted to air one-minute spots on why Bay Area citizens were committed to the act of voting, they started with a group of producers that represented a variety of races, ages, etc. This helped ensure that the resulting set of elegantly edited interstitials show people as unique and eclectic as the Bay Area itself.
[see more clips on KQEDs Bay Window web site]
Veterans Views on McCain
WZZM Grand Rapids, Michigan
clip run time » 2:22
In anticipation of a visit by Senator McCain shortly before the Michigan primary, reporter Peter Ross took his camera to the annual veterans awards dinner the night before. He took advantage of this fortuituous timing to ask veterans for their opinions of McCain. A little advance planning allowed him to put something relevant on the news as the press waited for McCains plane.
Land Use On Trial
We The People partnership » Wisconsin Public Television : The Wisconsin State Journal : Wood Communication Group : Wisconsin Public Radio : WISC Madison, Wisconsin
air date » 7.June.98
clip run time » 10:16
Looking for a fresh approach to the challenge of public journalism? This Madison, Wisconsin media partnership used a mock trial to ask the question, Who should make land use decisions? Citizens were gathered to form the studio audience, and a jury was chosen before the program began. The three cooperating television stations had each produced a three-minute videotaped exhibit that was shown to the courtroom and the broadcast audience. Opposing attorneys presented expert witnesses to comment upon the video evidence. As the jury deliberated the question (with parts of the sequestered discussion shown on air), a host circulated among the citizens in the audience, encouraging comments and opinions about the land use issue.
Citizen Durst: Back to School
The Working Group : Oakland, California
clip run time » 3:00
This segment from the Citizen Durst political field reports visits a New Hampshire high school to get the skinny from students who have seen most of the major presidential contenders swing through on the N.H. circuit. Although not a scientifically selected group and most students would not be of voting age, this civics class has had repeated exposure to the candidates and fits well into the Citizen Durst model of humor and appealing perspectives.
State Supreme Court Debate
Wisconsin Public Television
WISC Madison, Wisconsin
air date » 23.Mar.00
clip length » 6:05
One challenge in covering perceived non-marquee elected positions such as the State Supreme Court is explaining to voters what that job entails. Neil Heinen of WISC (CBS) contributed a segment to this debate that gives viewers a bit of background on the court and what it does, and why this race was important. To keep the debate visually interesting, it was held in the Supreme Court chambers (actually, the temporary quarters during renovation of the real courtroom) with the citizen-questioners sitting on the bench.
One Debate, Three Side Dishes
KCPT & KCTV Kansas City, Missouri
air date » 28.July.00
clip run time » 6:11
In partnership with KCTV, KCPT hosted this debate between GOP challengers for the 3rd Congressional District in Kansas. Three interesting elements were added to this hour-long program:
Citizen statements taped from KCTVs Speakers Corner video kiosk were used to introduce related questions to the candidates;
One campaign ad from each of the debate participants was shown, followed by discussion, challenge, and defense of the ads;
A short segment featuring footage of the Democratic incumbent delineating how his voting record had often matched the Republicans, which led to the question of how are you as a candidate different from the incumbent and from your opponents?
Forum with Legislative Leadership
Oregon Public Broadcasting Portland, Oregon
air date » 20.Oct.98
clip run time » 5:44
Although not strictly a debate, this Oregon Forum Project event brought together four key leaders in the Legislature with four citizens. The idea was to discuss issues in a way that complements other campaign initiatives. What makes this work is the give-and-take conversation that developed between the eight participants using this format. This clips has two excerpts: the first is from the beginning of the show, setting up the panel. The second is taken two-thirds of the way through the hour, and youll notice how relaxed and chatty and frank everyone appears.
Citizen Questions in a Debate
Bay-TV : San Francisco, California
clip run time » 2:32
Bay-TV, the former 24-hour news channel affiliated with KRON (NBC) in the Bay Area, staged many debates that ran on both stations. In a live debate it can be tricky to incorporate questions from a citizen audience unpredictability, restrictions on time, etc. so Bay-TV used taped pieces in this California senatorial debate.
Partnerships: Unicameral Legislation Forum
Twin Cities Public Television : The Star Tribune : WCCO-AM : Minn./St. Paul, Minnesota
air date » 18.Jan.00
clip run time » 4:13
The Minnesota Citizens Forum is an ongoing citizen-involvement initiative of the Star Tribune newspaper and Twin Cities Public Television. The Citizens Forum was conceived several years ago as a way to involve average people in the discussion of public policy issues. The goal is to get a better idea of what informed citizens think about public policy and to get average citizens voices covered in the media. Citizens are recruited at random through the Star Tribunes Minnesota Poll.
The clip featured here is an example of how this project combines both citizen participation and media partnership. The discussion of a proposed ballot measure to adopt a unicameral legislature was moderated by both radio and television hosts, with a reporter from the newspaper moving through the audience with a microphone.
In addition to local citizens gathered in the studio, video-conferencing connections were made with regular Joe locations around the state (a bed-and-breakfast, a familys living room). The program was simulcast on both the public television station and the radio, and a follow-up article about the forum appeared in the newspaper the next day.
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