WHYY News Civic News Summit fosters dialogue between local communities and newsrooms

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REGISTER: Please register for each day individually – Friday, April 4  and Saturday, April 5.

PANELISTS: Find all civic news summit speaker biographies here.

WHYY News hosts its second civic news conference to explore topics centered around connecting local communities to newsrooms. The two-day long conference will take place Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.

The free event is a joint effort between WHYY News and Bridging Blocks, a partnership between WHYY and the Free Library of Philadelphia that aims to bring diverse households together to discuss relevant issues. Bridging Blocks is funded by Fred and Barbara Sutherland.

This year’s event, “WHYY News Civic Dialogue Summit: Connecting Local Communities,” will feature WHYY News staff and local independent journalists discussing best practices for community-centered journalism and how best to keep local communities engaged. Panelists will share strategies for working with neighborhood groups as a way to assist news coverage of diverse communities.

Registration is required to attend this free event. The program on both days is open to the public, and will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at WHYY’s Philadelphia studios at 150 N. 6th St. The program is supported by the Every Voice, Every Vote initiative.

Friday’s program will be focused on connecting communities with the work local newsrooms are doing, along with sharing techniques for engaging in civic dialogue. Saturday’s schedule is centered around innovative newsgathering practices and the impact local journalists have on the community.

The conference will explore these panel topics:

• Civic news connects communities
• Press Forward funding insights and how to prepare grant applications
• Fireside chat with Candice Fortman
• Funding local news
• Exploring balanced and fact-based reporting
• Fireside chat with Documented
• Why we need civic dialogue
• Bridging Blocks: Host your own civic discussions
• Best engaged journalism techniques
• The impact of student journalists
• Civic news fuels local news innovation
• N.I.C.E: Learn new engaged journalism models
• Free networking mixer

See the detailed agenda:

Friday, April 4

8:45 to 9:30 a.m.     Registration, Breakfast Meet-N-Greet and Welcome 

9:30-10:30 a.m.        PANEL 1

Title: Civic News Connects Communities
Hear how local journalists and civic leaders are creating news that engages communities in public debate and supports our democracy.

Moderator:

• Cherri Gregg, Studio 2 Host, WHYY

Panelists:

• Timothy Shaffer, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and Director, SNF Ithaca, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware
• Angelique Hinton, Executive Director, PA Youth Vote
• Johnny Perez-Gonzalez, Reporter, WHYY News
• Julie Silverbrook, Vice President of Civic Education, National Constitution Center

Video: “Free Speech“ – WHYY’s Your Democracy Series powered by the Sutherland Family

10:35-11:15 a.m.        PANEL 2

Fireside Chat: Bill Marrazzo and Fred Sutherland

WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo sits down with philanthropist Fred Sutherland and Tony Cuffie, WHYY’s senior manager for community engagement, for a conversation about supporting and funding civic dialogue activities.

Moderator:

• Bill Marrazzo, President & CEO, WHYY

Panelists:

• Fred Sutherland, Retired EVP and Chief Financial Officer, ARAMARK
• Tony Cuffie, Senior Manager, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.        PANEL 3

Title: Press Forward & Funding Best Practices

Learn about local news funding best practices including Press Forward, a new nationwide philanthropic initiative supporting local news.

Moderator:

• Jim Friedlich, Executive Director and CEO, Lenfest Institute for Journalism

Panelists:

• Nina Sachdev, Communications Director, Media Impact Funders
• Jess King, Executive Director, The Steinman Institute
• Emma Restrepo, Journalist, 2PuntosPlatform

12:30-1:30 p.m.      Networking Lunch

1:30-2:30 p.m.        PANEL 4

Title: Funding Local News
It is vital to fund great journalism for local communities. This panel discusses how local philanthropy supports the flow of news information to audiences.

Moderator:

• Sarah Glover, VP of News & Civic Dialogue, WHYY News

Panelists:

• Naeema Campbell, Program Officer, The Fund for New Jersey
• Frances Sheehan, President and CEO, The Foundation for Delaware County
• Jessica Richards, Program Director, Democracy and Civic Initiatives, William Penn Foundation

2:30-3:30 p.m.        PANEL 5

Title: Why We Need Civic Dialogue

Bridging the divides of a polarized community requires bringing people together. Join this conversation to discover how local institutions and gatekeepers are creating space for meaningful dialogue.

Moderator:

• Madhusmita Bora, Managing Editor, WHYY News

Panelists:

• Letrell Crittenden, Director, Center for Community Engaged Media at Temple University
• Veronica Britto, Chief Librarian of Adult Programs, Free Library of Philadelphia
• Jamie Brunson, Executive Director, First Person Arts

3:30-4:30 p.m.        PANEL 6

Title: The Impact of Student Journalism

In many communities, student journalists are the only reporters on the beat. Hear from both students and their advisors as they share the promises and challenges of their roles in the news ecosystem.

Moderator:

• John DiCarlo, Managing Director of Student Media, Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication

Panelists:

• Samuel O’Neal, Editor in Chief, Temple News
• Emily Scolnick, Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Pennsylvanian, UPenn
• Sam Gregg, Managing Editor, The Triangle, Drexel

4:30 p.m.        WRAP UP 

Saturday, April 5

8:45 to 9:30 a.m.      Registration, Breakfast Meet-N-Greet and Welcome

9:30-10:20 a.m.        PANEL 1

Title: Bridging Blocks: Host Your Own Civic Discussions
Partake in an exercise and learn how to lead courageous conversations amongst community members and explore how to effectively disseminate fact-based news and information in an engaging manner in service to your local audiences.

• Moderator: Tony Cuffie, Senior Manager, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team
• Moderator: Brisa Luzzi Castro, Community Convener, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team

10:20-11:20 a.m.         PANEL 2

Title: Crowdsourcing Engaged Journalism

With so many sources of information available on a variety of platforms and media, panelists will focus on proven ways to distinguish facts from partial truths.

Moderator:

• Gene Sonn, Director of Collaborations, Resolve Philly

Panelists:

• Tamara P.O.C. Russell, Founder, Revive Radio
• Linn Washington, Professor, Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication
• Hector Nuñez, Founder, Wooder Ice Media

11:20-11:30 a.m.         BREAK

11:30-12:20 p.m.         PANEL 3

Title: Fireside Chat with Rebecca Neuwirth of Documented

Learn how Documented, a unique news startup, is engaging local and national audiences with a focus on covering immigrant communities, community engagement and public service journalism.

Moderator:

• Sarah Glover, VP of News & Civic Dialogue, WHYY News

Panelist:

• Rebecca Neuwirth, Chief Strategy Officer, Documented

12:30-1:30 p.m.        Networking lunch

1:30-2:30 p.m.        PANEL 4

Title: EVEV: Civic news fuels local news innovation

Every Voice, Every Vote is a citywide initiative that represents more than 70 nonprofit organizations and newsrooms working under the EVEV banner on a myriad of projects that engage Philadelphians and provide the latest news reporting on pressing issues that impact the city.

Moderator:

• Shawn Mooring, Head of Philadelphia Programs, Lenfest Institute for Journalism

Panelists:

• Afea Tucker, Community Engagement Reporter, The Trace
• Ashanti Martin, General Manager, WURD Radio
• Olivia Kram, Digital Media Marketing and Community Manager, The Philadelphia Citizen
• Julie M. Hancher, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Green Philly

2:30-3:20 p.m.        PANEL 5

Title: Fireside Chat with Candice Fortman of JSK Fellowships
Join this engaging conversation on the impact of civic journalism on local communities and how newsrooms may parlay technology in service to their audiences with the goal of keeping up with a news cycle that never sleeps.

Moderator:

• Sarah Glover, VP of News & Civic Dialogue, WHYY News

Panelist:

• Candice Fortman, JSK Fellow and Former Executive Director of Outlier Media

3:20-3:30 p.m.        BREAK

3:30-4:30 p.m.        PANEL 6

Title: N.I.C.E. and Building Engaged Journalism Models

Independent journalists and mediamakers are on the frontlines of gathering news and reflecting a range of community perspectives that are at times overlooked by traditional media publishers. WHYY’s N.I.C.E. partners share how their roles are evolving to meet the moment.

Moderator:

• Joe Blake, Veteran Journalist

Panelists:

• Mike James, Uptown Radio (N.I.C.E. Partner)
• Daniel Tsao, New Mainstream Media (N.I.C.E. Partner)
• Lauren Settles, We Talk Weekly (N.I.C.E. Partner)

4:30 to 5 p.m. Closing Remarks & Networking Mixer