Trust is perhaps the most critical element as the media become “democratic, decentralized and diverse” as Hanson Hosein stated early in his presentation, “The Storyteller Uprising” at Seattle’s Town Hall.  There are many experiments in developing trust, like NPR’s model for curating local bloggers as reporters in the Hurricane Ida and Haiti disasters.  Universities are also in the enviable position of having scholars with credibility in their field, given their intense and often lifelong research in a field.  Some universities are taking full advantage through platforms they manage, like the MIT Technology Review Others are wisely creating a crucible for the next generation of scholars, activists and journalists.  University of North Carolina is a great example of community scholarship, multimedia journalism and activism.  Seems like an unreachable goal, eh?  But check out the work created last fall by a group of 21 students and 5 faculty in the Galapagos Islands. http://www.livinggalapagos.org/

UNC living galapagos map

Living Galapagos has won several awards for innovation and journalistic quality – all well deserved, I think.  There is great storytelling by the residents, beautiful photography, and the unveiling of thorny issues about economics, tourism and sustainability.  Taken together, these can ignite passion in readers of the site.  But, as you also pointed out – how does one sustain the passion?  I did a cursory review of google looking for efforts to expand the message and link to others that can help, as Lance observed, to “take the news and translate it into things to do.”  It’s just not there.  Too bad.  Let’s hope there are other elements in the works.

I’m certainly going to keep an eye on UNC’s journalism program and share what I find here on campus.  We have a real connection to activism here at the UW through various programs like those at the Evans School of Public Affairs, which produces more Peace Corps volunteers than any other public university,  that may help our students create the stories AND sustain the passion.