Fault Lines

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Fault Lines

• Crossing into Cyberspace
• by
• Jean Marie Brown
• Managing Editor/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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Robert C. Maynard

• Bob Maynard was a risk-taker and a visionary
  journalist.
• He was a Nieman Fellow. He went on to work for
  The Washington Post, where he was the first black
  journalist to work as a national correspondent
  for a major newspaper.
• He was a co-founder of the Institute for
  Journalism education, which now bears his name.
• He was the publisher/owner of Oakland Tribune for
  nearly a decade.

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Introduction to the Fault Lines

• Before his death in 1993, Maynard began exploring
  the idea that in this country we see events
  through five viewfinders that he called FAULT
  LINES.
• He believed these FAULT LINES - named with
  geological fault lines in mind, not blame were
  the most enduring forces through which Americans
  have viewed events and history.

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The Fault Lines

• GENDER Men are from Mars.
• GENERATION When you grew up affects your view of
  events.
• GEOGRAPHY Where youre from can shape how you
  see events.
• CLASS Financial circumstances influence
  perspective.
• RACE Your race influences your view of events.

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but what about??

• Think of the FAULT LINES as umbrellas that go
  beyond the five categories.
• Under GENDER consider straight male, straight
  female, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender.
• Under GENERATION remember to consider not
  only a persons actual age, but also what
  generational age group they fall into.

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but what about???

• Under GEOGRAPHY think urban, suburban, rural,
  regional, neighborhood.
• Under RACE look for ethnicity and country of
  origin.
• Under CLASS think about economics.

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Fissures

• There are also social fissures, such as
  politics and religion, that can come into play,
  but these are arent as constant as the FAULT
  LINES, and often they are influenced by the FAULT
  LINES.

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OK, I get it. Now what?

• There are two principle ways that you can put
  FAULT LINES into practice
• Self-awareness Its important to understand
  what your own FAULT LINES are.
• Story framing and brainstorming Make sure you
  dont just round up the usual suspects.

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My Faults

• In the last 10 to 15 years, journalists have
  admitted what the public already knew we dont
  check our lives at the door. Who we are
  influences how we approach stories and coverage.

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Context and Specificity

• When you get calls or emails about stories
  that say Its not wrong, but..... you might
  have hit that persons FAULT LINE.
• You likely didnt go far enough beyond who,
  what, where, when, why and how.

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Story Framing

• Just as we talk about nut grafs and impact, we
  can use FAULT LINES to brainstorm stories ideas
  that go beyond our fault lines.

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Stakeholders

• Look at stories, videos, photographs with the
  FAULT LINES in mind and ask yourself who is this
  going to appeal to?
• Who wont it appeal to? Why?
• Look at your website who do you see?
• Who dont you see?

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A chance to get it right
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Old media

• Print and broadcast are still struggling to
  live up to the recommendations of the Kerner
  Report
• Integrate Negroes and Negro activities into
  all aspects of coverage and content, including
  newspaper articles and television programming.
  The news media must publish newspapers and
  produce programs that recognize the existence and
  activities of Negroes as a group within the
  community and as a part of the larger community.
  

REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMISSION ON
CIVIL DISORDERS
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Kerner Today

• Issued in 1968, the report is dated_
  GENERATIONALLY and RACIALLY_ but the sentiment
  holds true with a little editing

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Kerner Today

• Integrate the activities of this countrys
  multicultural population into all aspects of
  coverage and content, including newspaper
  articles television programming and online. The
  news media must publish newspapers and produce
  programs that recognize the existence and
  activities of all people as a group within the
  community and as a part of the larger community