Filed under: SEMA Show,Honda,Coupe,Motorcycle,Racing,Performance,sedan
Continue reading Honda to show custom 1968 S800 Coupe, three Civic Si builds at SEMA
Honda to show custom 1968 S800 Coupe, three Civic Si builds at SEMA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Earnings/Financials,Hirings/Firings/Layoffs,Plants/Manufacturing,UAW/Unions,Ford
Ford Motor Co plans to close an engine plant in Romeo, Michigan as part of a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers union for a new four-year contract, a source told Reuters Thursday. Ford is not immediately closing the plant but will close it at a future date under the UAW agreement.
Continue reading Ford will close an engine plant in Michigan as part of UAW deal
Ford will close an engine plant in Michigan as part of UAW deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We're playing F1 2019 today.
Continue reading Autoblog is Live: Playing Rocket League
Autoblog is Live: Playing Rocket League originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 13:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Dartz Prombron Black Stallion is the alternate-universe Hummer H2
Dartz Prombron Black Stallion is the alternate-universe Hummer H2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsIf you build it, they will come. Trolls and misinformers, that is, will come to any social media platform that attracts a big user base. This time we’re talking about TikTok.
Cristina reports this morning on Poynter’s web site that TikTok, the short-video app popular among teenagers around the world, has become host to a wide range of false content, much of it political. She also found anti-vaccination posts and misinformation surrounding climate change, including attacks on Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Fact-checkers don’t currently have a presence on TikTok.
TikTok is only the latest example of a social platform trying to stay ahead of misinformation. And its target demographic of teenagers who might be seen as vulnerable to misinformation – or worse – makes the problem even more challenging.
Much of the concern surrounding content on social media has been focused on U.S.-owned companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. TikTok is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, which adds different dimensions to the debate over its content, including censorship, privacy and national security issues.
TikTok, which says its mission is to “inspire creativity and build joy,” has been working to deal with the problematic content. Earlier this month it said it would not accept political ads. Also this month, the company said it would be creating a committee of outside experts to advise on and review content moderation policies covering a wide range of topics, “including child safety, hate speech, misinformation, bullying, and other potential issues.”
TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez laid out the challenge clearly in a recent piece.
In the meantime, two U.S. senators who usually diverge in their political and policy views – Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) – have called on the U.S. intelligence community to assess TikTok’s national security risks. Among their concerns, according to a recent piece in The Washington Post, is that TikTok is a “potential target of foreign influence campaigns like those carried out during the 2016 election on U.S.-based social media platforms.”
Misinformers have a way of zeroing in on hot new platforms. In March, the social media and culture writer Taylor Lorenz wrote in The Atlantic that Instagram was where the “next great battle” over misinformation would be fought. But Instagram, she wrote, was escaping scrutiny partly because of the differences in the way young people use it compared with older people.
TikTok also has the potential to pose similar generational divides. But the new attention suggests that it is not going to fly under lawmakers’ radar.
Latin American fact-checkers will meet online this afternoon to share techniques they use to debunk falsehoods related to street protests in Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Olivia Sohr, from Chequeado (in Argentina), has been leading the team in monthly calls. Those who want to join (the conversation will be in Spanish) can click here.
Brazil’s Aos Fatos (in Portuguese) reports that since January, President Jair Bolsonaro has verbally attacked journalists and media outlets 162 times, or an average of more than once every two days. In August alone, while the Amazon region was burning and his government was being pressured by international celebrities, Bolsonaro disparaged the press 46 times. The number is probably higher if you include his weekly Facebook live events.
The European Commission said Facebook, Twitter and Google must do more to fight misinformation or they could face regulatory action. The threat comes more than a year after the EU signed a voluntary code of conduct with the platforms.
Conspiracy-minded QAnon adherents have turned to UFO narratives for their conspiratorial fix, Vice reported, mixing an old conspiracy world with a new one in a development that worries some disinformation experts.
Before voting in Sunday’s presidential election, Argentinians could literally ask their Google Assistant for the latest fact checks from Reverso, the collaborative project launched by more than 100 media outlets in the country to fight misinformation. Voters needed only to use the microphone to say “Quiero hablar con Reverso” (“I want to talk to Reverso”) to get the system working.
PolitiFact’s Josie Hollingsworth recently completed an IFCN fellowship at Maldita.es in Spain. She wrote for Poynter about the fact-checking group’s customer relationship management tool, which Maldita uses to source its fact checks.
Remember that video from a Kentucky gun range that people circulated on social media earlier this month saying it was part of a military operation in northern Syria? The hoax even caught ABC News off guard, forcing the network to apologize after it aired the video and called it a Turkish attack on Kurdish civilians.
Looking back, it appears that the first fact-checker to catch that hoax was Turkey’s Teyit. The video with the false caption started circulating not long after Turkey launched a new ground offensive in Syria that followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s indication that U.S. troops stationed in the country would be leaving.
When Teyit’s fact-checkers saw the video being played repeatedly on social media by different sources, including the former mayor of Ankara, they went to work. One technique they used was a reverse image search, which showed the video had surfaced before. And it turned out the video was from a shooting event at the Knob Creek Gun Range in West Point, Kentucky. Gulin Çavus, Teyit’s editor-in-chief, said comments on the video also indicated it didn’t originate in Syria.
What we liked: Teyit’s article was published Oct. 10 — way ahead of others who debunked it. Agence France-Presse, which did its own fact check the next day, credited Teyit and also took the story a bit further, noting that the Kentucky video had been deceptively used in other cases, too. Especially in times of armed conflict, when rumors and hoaxes tend to proliferate, this episode is a good reminder to journalists and others to watch fact-checkers in the region who are working in real time and are most likely to recognize a fake when they see it.
Applications for Global Fact 7, the annual worldwide gathering of fact-checkers, will be open tomorrow (Nov. 1). More information about the event, to take place in Oslo next June, will be available on IFCN’s website and social media.
Cristina wrote about how a false resignation letter from a high-ranking Lebanese minister made its way onto CNN in Arabic.
For the first time, the IFCN was cited by comedians on “Saturday Night Live,” the popular American late-night variety show. Here is a link to the Oct. 26 show (fact-checking comes up after the sixth minute).
According to Factcheck.org’s quarterly financial disclosure, support from the Annenberg Foundation is “nearly exhausted.” (h/t Alexios)
MediaWise (Poynter’s media literacy project) partnered with beauty blogger Ingrid Nilsen to find out how much fact is actually behind wellness trends.
Was that photo in the White House Situation Room staged? There is no evidence it was, PolitiFact reported.
In Maine, anonymous social media pages are posting hyper partisan content about elections.
Researchers wrote for The Washington Post about how political disinformation campaigns are using astroturfing techniques on Twitter.
Susan reviewed another book about speech on the internet.
That’s it for this week! Feel free to send feedback and suggestions to factually@poynter.org. And if this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
Daniel, Susan and Cristina
The post Factually: Misinformation makes its way to TikTok appeared first on American Press Institute.
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
OFF THE TOP
You might have heard: Newsrooms are gearing up for the Trump impeachment inquiry with new hires, podcasts and newsletters (CNN)
But did you know: Impeachment content will be ‘catnip for news junkies’ — but could also boost news avoidance (Nieman Lab)
During President Trump’s first 10 months in office, research showed that people from both ends of the political spectrum felt “inundated” by three particular emotions when consuming political news: anger, frustration, and an overall feeling of being overwhelmed. Those emotions were shown to intensify if people consumed their news on social media, with many participants in that study calling it a toxic environment for news and declaring their intentions to cut back on their usage. The authors of that previous study, María Celeste Wagner and Pablo Boczkowski, now write that impeachment stories will “likely feel increasingly personal, passionate, and irritating to people as the proceedings unfold. For some, this will draw them in, while others will likely turn off from the news.”
+ Earlier: Britain’s Sky News is betting viewers’ Brexit fatigue is so extreme that it’s launching a “Brexit-free” news channel (Bloomberg)
+ Noted: Twitter will no longer allow political advertising on its platform (Twitter, @jack); Told to “stick to sports,” Deadspin editors quit en masse (New York Times)
API UPDATE
Newspaper opinion sections can be polarizing — and in an age of fragile trust in local news, many newsrooms are unwilling to risk driving away readers. In a new essay collection, we look at three innovative ways newsrooms are reimagining opinion journalism, turning it into a platform (in the digital and physical sense) that engages readers in inclusive, civil debate on local issues.
TRY THIS AT HOME
This Wisconsin newsroom wants to cover esports like high school football (Poynter)
When Denise Lockwood, publisher of Racine County Eye, heard of an esports program at the local high school that gave out scholarships to participating students, she wanted to cover the story from a solutions angle. She also saw it as an opportunity to introduce the students to area tech schools and help them see how their skills could be translated into a career. Now the Eye has a reporter assigned to write weekly dispatches from the game, which it helps finds sponsors for. It’s also a great way for the Eye to help a new generation understand how news is made and why it matters, Lockwood said. “Nobody else is talking to these kids about why news is important.”
OFFSHORE
Why a group of Italian journalists turned Instagram into a board game (Journalism.co.uk)
The journalists, belonging to an Italian association for freelancers, wanted a creative way to share complex stories about urban development in three Italian cities — Naples, Rome and Milan. Their board game makes use of Instagram’s tagging feature to guide users, breadcrumb-style, through a progression of photos, infographics and Instagram Stories. Along the way, users learn how each of the cities has been transformed over time by tourism and gentrification. “We’ve tried to show that using Instagram is not just a hobby, but it is also for reading a complex story,” said Matteo Garavoglia, one of the game’s authors. “If you create a roadmap with the Stories, photos and good content, maybe [it’s] more impactful.”
+ Russia tests new disinformation tactics in Africa to expand its influence (New York Times); BBC “deliberately misled” female employees on salaries, union claims (Financial Times); 72 British lawmakers condemn “colonial” coverage of Meghan Markle (New York Times)
OFFBEAT
Price elasticity tests yield revenue opportunities for publishers (INMA)
When consulting company Mather Economics ran a series of tests to see what the optimal renewal price would be for several publishers, the optimal price each time was higher than expected. For example, for customers starting at 99 cents per week, it found an optimal renewal price of $3.99. In a similar test of digital-only subscribers beginning at $2.99 per week, it found the optimal renewal price was $5.49 per week. The tests took into account various factors that can influence decisions to stay subscribed, including income level and how engaged subscribers are with a publication. The tests also showed that engaged digital-only subscribers tend to be less sensitive to renewal price increases than print-only subscribers in the same market. “To the degree a publisher is open to a differentiated pricing strategy, where not all customers receive the same renewal price increase, the potential for incremental reader revenue will increase substantially,” write Mather economists Matthew Lulay and Matt Lindsey.
UP FOR DEBATE
What’s blockchain actually good for, anyway? For now, not much (Wired)
Blockchain was touted by many as a solution to some of society’s most complex problems, including the death of local news. But the cryptocurrency hasn’t delivered, hobbled by its underlying technology. A recent report from Gartner predicted that up to 90% of blockchain-based supply chain initiatives would suffer “blockchain fatigue” by 2023 due to a lack of strong use cases. Some say blockchain may yet prove useful as a way to get competitors and other distrustful parties to share data and tools; for now, using blockchain to process thousands of transactions is “just too much for the technology today,” said one expert.
+ “Your move, Facebook”: Why Facebook should follow suit with Twitter’s decision to ban political ads (New York Times)
SHAREABLE
‘Journos just don’t understand’ (Columbia Journalism Review)
At a conference hosted in New York this week by the National Association for Media Literacy Education, journalists, educators and Facebook representatives heard from high schoolers about what the young people think of news organizations’ attempts to capture their attention on social media. Students laughed at the Washington Post’s TikTok account, where creator Dave Jorgenson’s antics have gained admiration (and imitation) from the media world. But they grimaced at a Fox meteorologist’s rendition of the viral “Git Up” dance challenge. And many of them declared that they just wanted reporters to stick to what they do best. “For me, honestly, to be engaged — just give me the facts straight,” said high schooler Jubahed Qayum. “I think teenagers are a lot smarter than adults give them credit for,” he went on. “Treat me like an adult without throwing in funny memes, and I’m ready to meet you like an adult.”
+ Impact editors, story scientists, community wizards … What to make of media’s new job titles (What’s New in Publishing)
The post Need to Know: Oct. 31, 2019 appeared first on American Press Institute.
Filed under: Aftermarket,SEMA Show,Ford,Truck,Coupe,Off-Road,Performance
Continue reading Ford previews custom F-150s and Mustangs for SEMA
Ford previews custom F-150s and Mustangs for SEMA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Design/Style,Affiliate Posts
Continue reading Blipshift's Halloween sale is bringing an old Autoblog design back from the grave
Blipshift's Halloween sale is bringing an old Autoblog design back from the grave originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Etc.,Weird Car News,Dodge,Coupe,Classics,Videos
Continue reading 1970 Dodge Charger destroyed by man sick of lowballers — he showed them!
1970 Dodge Charger destroyed by man sick of lowballers — he showed them! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Celebrities,Marketing/Advertising,Chevrolet,Coupe,Performance
Continue reading 2020 Chevy Corvette awarded to World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg
2020 Chevy Corvette awarded to World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Motorsports,Racing,Gaming Guide
Continue reading Briton crowned World's Fastest Gamer, wins IRL racing career
Briton crowned World's Fastest Gamer, wins IRL racing career originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Spy Photos,Audi,Hatchback,Performance,sedan
Continue reading 2021 Audi RS 3 hot hatch spied with near-production bodywork
2021 Audi RS 3 hot hatch spied with near-production bodywork originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Green,Fisker,Green Automakers,Crossover,SUV,Electric,Luxury
Continue reading Fisker electric SUV named Ocean, and it'll have an app-based lease
Fisker electric SUV named Ocean, and it'll have an app-based lease originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading F1 drivers show off in the streets of Hollywood
F1 drivers show off in the streets of Hollywood originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Car Buying
BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Auto sales in China may skid to 26 million this year, a drop of around 8%, a senior industry executive warned, as the world's largest auto market braces for a second year of contraction amid slowing economic growth and tighter vehicle emissions standards. The latest prediction, by Fu Bingfeng, executive vice chairman of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), is lower than the group's previous forecast for a 5% drop, issued in July. Amid gatherin
Continue reading China's auto market could shrink by 8% this year
China's auto market could shrink by 8% this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Etc.,Mercedes-Benz,Crossover,Luxury
Continue reading 2020 Mercedes GLE-Class nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating
2020 Mercedes GLE-Class nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading These 20-foot jumper cables are 15% off on Amazon
These 20-foot jumper cables are 15% off on Amazon originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Earnings/Financials,Chrysler,Fiat
Continue reading Fiat Chrysler's third-quarter operating profit exceeds expectations
Fiat Chrysler's third-quarter operating profit exceeds expectations originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Earnings/Financials,Hirings/Firings/Layoffs,Plants/Manufacturing,UAW/Unions,Ford
Ford Motor and the United Auto Workers union on Wednesday announced a tentative agreement for a new labor deal, allowing the No. 2 U.S. automaker to avoid a strike like the one that cost its larger rival General Motors about $3 billion. The union turned to Ford to negotiate a new four-year agreement after ratifying a contract last week with GM following a 40-day U.S. strike that shut down almost all of GM's North American operations. Detailed terms of the deal were not released, b
Continue reading Ford reaches tentative contract agreement with UAW
Ford reaches tentative contract agreement with UAW originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Earnings/Financials,Government/Legal,Green,Hirings/Firings/Layoffs,Plants/Manufacturing,Chrysler,Fiat,Peugeot
Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Peugeot said Thursday they have agreed to merge to create the world's fourth-largest automaker with enough scale to confront big shifts in the industry, including a race to develop electric cars and driverless technologies. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler brings with it a strong footprint in North America, where it makes at least two-thirds of its profits, while Peugeot is the No. 2 automaker in Europe. Both lag in China, however, despite the participation of Peug
Continue reading Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot announce merger as world's fourth-biggest carmaker
Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot announce merger as world's fourth-biggest carmaker originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Green,Chrysler,Fiat,Peugeot
In a merger deal that appears to be heading for approval, Fiat Chrysler stands to gain electric vehicle technology while PSA Peugeot Citroen could benefit from a badly needed dealership network to reach its goal of selling vehicles in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources it did not identify, reported Wednesday that the boards of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot approved the deal. The board of Exor NV, the Agnelli family holding company that controls Fiat Chrysler, also affirmed the deal,
Continue reading 4 ways FCA-PSA merger could be a plus
4 ways FCA-PSA merger could be a plus originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Ford Ranger steel bumper, more off-road parts coming soon from ARB
Ford Ranger steel bumper, more off-road parts coming soon from ARB originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Oct 2019 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Weird Car News
A dog hit by a car in upstate New York rode for 45 minutes wedged between the broken bumper and the grille before the driver realized she was carrying an injured passenger. Coco the shiba inu was being treated for a fractured elbow after being struck Monday morning in Albany. Rotterdam Police Lt. Jeffrey Collins says the driver knew she hit something and noticed the car's damage but didn't see the dog at first.
Continue reading Dog struck by car rides inside bumper for miles
Dog struck by car rides inside bumper for miles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Oct 2019 20:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFor years, columnists and analysts have observed and lamented the growing polarity in American politics.
Too often, they act like bystanders, pointing out problems but rarely offering more than platitudes in response to societal woes.
We have talked about echo chambers, red and blue voters, and the effects of social media in exacerbating that divide.
However, we have not talked enough about how media industry leaders can and must offer solutions for better conversations that improve human relations and preserve our democratic principles.
The Tennessean Editorial Board has long touted “We stand for civility” as one of the four pillars of our mission. Until 2017, it merely served as window dressing.
It sounded nice and made sense, but there was no real substance behind it.
In late 2017, USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee Editor Michael Anastasi challenged me, as opinion and engagement director for The Tennessean, to focus on a year-long project on civility.
My initial response was: “Does anybody really want civility today?”
After deep reflection, I accepted the challenge and began writing the strategy for the “Civility Tennessee” campaign.
Guests listen during a Civility Tennessee discussion called “Why Aren’t Tennesseans Voting Like They Should” at Lipscomb University Aug. 27, 2018, in Nashville. (Photo: The Tennessean)
We had seen success in past efforts on community listening and in convening the public on a variety of topics, from transit to affordable housing to public education. We envisioned the campaign as taking shape via public events and robust discussion forums on our social media platforms.
This became the purpose statement of the Civility Tennessee strategy: “‘We stand for civility’ is one of the four pillars of The Tennessean Editorial Board’s mission. This campaign seeks to put this mission into action by leading our audiences and the overall community to embrace civil discourse and pledge a commitment to civility.”
However, we also knew from the start that to do this effectively, we would have to accomplish two things:
To the first point, we found inspiration in the roots of civility: the Latin word “civitas,” referring to the duties of the citizen.
Our aim was to show that we were not calling on people simply to be nice or polite. No, we were calling on them to be good citizens, who embraced, challenged and elevated their community.
Tenn. State Sen. Steve Dickerson talks with Lipscomb University’s Michelle Steele during the Civility Tennessee discussion on voting. (Photo: The Tennessean)
We secured partners in Vanderbilt University, Lipscomb University, Belmont University and the Nashville Public Library for events both large and small that included author Q&As and discussions on topics such as voter turnout and Nashville’s proposed transit referendum.
Despite the challenges of social media, we knew we had to be present in that space and experiment with different types of conversations.
The closed “Civility Tennessee” Facebook group has become a laboratory for tough conversations on a variety of issues.
To date, while some disruptive voices have been encouraged to leave the group, we have not had to ban anyone. We believe that is because we do not admit anyone unless they answer these three questions in the affirmative:
We have taken conversations from the social space into the real world, including a book club discussion of Jon Meacham’s “The Soul of America” at the public library, and a field trip to a school board meeting to emphasize that civic engagement is exceptionally effective and needed at the local level.
The group numbers 330 as of Oct. 18 and is slowly growing. We value quality of engagement over quantity of posts and followers.
Friendships from people on left and right have blossomed in that group and it has become a sounding board for sharing ideas and frustrations, as well as invitations to events.
Civility Tennessee was scheduled to end on Dec. 31, 2018, but the popularity of its events persuaded the editorial board to make it a continuous effort — one that is especially important as we enter the 2020 presidential election.
Note: The editorial board comprises Michael Anastasi, Tennessean Executive Editor Maria De Varenne and me.
The soft launch for Civility Tennessee happened shortly before Thanksgiving of 2017.
In a column titled “Is civility in America possible anymore?” I invited readers to submit ideas about how to solve polarity in America.
“We do not have to accept this divisive time as the ‘new normal,’ and I would challenge readers to write letters to the editor (maximum 150 words) to share your views on this question: ‘How can the United States become more civil?’” I wrote.
I promised to run the letters on Thanksgiving — the first Thanksgiving of the Trump administration —because “Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what brings us together, and hopefully the advice readers provide will create some enlightening conversations at the dinner table.”
My column grabbed the attention of the NPR radio show “1A,” which invited me to speak about civil discourse with other guests on one of their episodes.
The reader response to my column was enormous and we dedicated an entire page to their ideas.
Three big themes emerged regarding civility:
We then started laying the groundwork for events and articles over the next year.
Critical to the effort was not just publishing staff columns, but also inviting people to write guest columns and letters in The Tennessean on the subject of civil discourse, human-to-human engagement and the challenges of trying to be a good citizen amid the surge of white supremacy, mass shootings and other ills plaguing our society.
We reached out to local leaders of the nonprofit Better Angels, which unites red and blue voters in deep conversation. They gave us valuable insight into how they bring different people together for civil, productive conversations, and how they encourage them to keep the conversations going.
Participants discuss Jon Meacham’s “The Soul of America” at a book club meeting convened by Civility Tennessee at the Nashville Public Library on July 28, 2018. (Photo: The Tennessean)
As I continued working on the strategy, we came to consensus on what our values would be:
Our official launch was on Jan. 12 with a column I wrote to introduce the effort titled “We are launching Civility Tennessee to restore faith in each other.”
Here is a list of highlights from 2018:
The year 2018 was also an election year. There were multiple city elections sparked by the resignation of former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, who was involved in a sex scandal that cost taxpayers money.
Open gubernatorial and Senate seats encouraged The Tennessean along with statewide community partners to hold a series of forums and debates across Tennessee to inform people about the candidates and what they stood for. The locations ranged from the University of Memphis to Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., to Belmont University in Nashville.
The Tennessean Editorial Board also added a new question to its candidate survey: Will you pledge to be civil?
Civility Tennessee was not without controversy or its detractors.
The summer drama of former presidential spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders getting kicked out of a Lexington, Va., restaurant and the subsequent calls for civility convinced some that “civility” was nothing more than a euphemism for acquiescence.
I wrote a column titled “On civility: don’t be nice, be a good citizen.” That helped reframe for the editorial board and our readers what this campaign was all about.
The alternative weekly The Nashville Scene awarded us one of its annual “Boner Awards,” for the campaign. While their scathing description of our events and mission was not all accurate, the publicity helped elevate the work we had been doing.
Since we had not intended to continue Civility Tennessee into 2019, we had not organized an aggressive series of events like we did in the previous year.
However, we made it a point to spread the word about the campaign beyond Nashville.
We took the message to Franklin, Tenn., for discussions with local elected and business leaders; to the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center in Memphis; and to Minneapolis to address mayors, business leaders and young professionals in six different venues on the value of reframing conversations at the invitation of the regional chamber of commerce and the local Urban Land Institute.
The trip to Memphis — where I had medical students work in small groups around tough topics in their world — encouraged me to write a column on civil discourse and vaccinations. Some of the students could not understand why some members of the public were rejecting the science of immunization and yet it showed that there was much work to be done in effectively informing the public and encouraging physicians to have better conversations with their patients.
For the second year in a row, we included a question about civility in candidate election questionnaires. All of the nearly 100 municipal election candidates who answered the survey said they would agree to be civil.
The principles of Civility Tennessee have helped guide our public forums, including an Oct. 19 town hall meeting that addressed inequities facing public school children.
The campaign received several recognitions in 2019. The USA TODAY NETWORK honored Civility Tennessee with the annual national Transformation Journalism Award and the On Point Purpose Award. We were a finalist for the News Leaders Association Burl Osborne Award for Editorial Leadership and placed first in the editorials and public service categories of the Tennessee Press Association Awards. Editor & Publisher named The Tennessean a finalist in the international EPPY Awards for best use of social media and crowdsourcing. (Note: The EPPY winners will be announced on Oct. 23.)
We are getting ready to amplify our Civility Tennessee efforts as we approach 2020. We recently connected the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, which oversees elections, and a new statewide voter registration initiative called Vote Tennessee to work together on engaging voters through guest columns, virtual interviews and events.
Citizens can change the toxic discourse that pervades our society, but it requires work, dedication and discipline. As media leaders, we can use our power of convening and informing to help citizens on this journey. Our democracy needs us more than ever.
David Plazas is director of opinion and engagement at The Tennessean in Nashville. He can be reached at dplazas@tennessean.com. This essay is part of a body of work on reimagining opinion journalism.
The post How The Tennessean’s opinion section is working to combat polarization appeared first on American Press Institute.
