By Tom Silvestri, The Relevance Project
A major focus of The Relevance Project is to advance our newspapers using THE community forum as a transformative strategy.
Our initiative received a big boost when it was pinned as the theme of this year’s National Newspaper Week, which once again was orchestrated by Newspaper Association Managers. Special thanks to 2021 NNW Chair Brian Allfrey for the endorsement.
The community forum is the ultimate definition of Relevance.
The NAM Board has asked me to produce instructions and to detail advice on how to execute a community forum mindset. You’ll find on The Relevance Project website several new Relevant Points that do just that:
- Relevance 101: How to plan a community forum
- Community forum: Step-by-step advice
- Momentum builds for the community forum
- Excuses, excuses, excuses
It’s a great time for associations and member newspapers to roll out THE community forum in their states, provinces and respective markets. There’s not only one way to do this, though my recommended approach is based on the humble experience of moderating 78 civil, civic conversations in Richmond, Va., called the Public Square.
For the community forum to transform our beloved newspaper industry, we need a few good pioneers.
- RELATED: See more from The Relevance Project
The celebration must go on
National Newspaper Week adopted “Be THE community forum” as the 2021 theme. The celebration ended Saturday, Oct. 9.
Now what?
Did your newspaper(s) conduct at least one discussion with readers about deepening the community’s trust?
Or, did the publisher or editor use the week to think about how to stage a series of civil, civic conversations to help the community improve its news literacy to fight disinformation and fake facts?
Or, better yet, perhaps you’re planning to uncork an initiative aimed at using the community forum strategy to explore issues of importance to your town, city, county, region or state and then to help identify solutions that improve the quality of life?
Be THE community forum.
The future of newspapers demands more vibrant engagement of their communities.
If you are a new publisher or editor, the community forum is a ready-made initiative to put your newspaper on stronger footing — with you leading the way.
If you are a longtime publisher or editor, the community forum can rejuvenate your career and give the community a new way to understand and support their trusted local source of news and information.
National Newspaper Week was a headline about transforming into THE community forum. Thank you.
It’s time for newspapers and their trade associations to write the rest of the story.
What now?
