Citizen Power Tool Box |Citizen Journalism
We have taught hundreds of citizens the skills they can use to cover the news in their communities. Much of traditional media no longer has the resources to report local news so citizens can play an important role in getting the word out about the issues their towns and cities face and the pragmatic solutions that are available to address them. The Citizens Campaign can help you learn how. Our history of success includes creating the first Hyperlocal News Association and launching the award-winning Paterson Press. Click on the materials below, which have been designed and developed to teach you everything there is to becoming an effective citizen journalist and newsgatherer in your community, keeping the focus on solutions.
Click on the materials below to get involved or find out more.
- Solutions Newsgatherer Guide
Learn these simple steps and become a Solutions Newsgatherer putting a media focus on solutions. - Solutions Newsgathering Summit Panel
Learn tips from professionals about how to engage in solutions newsgathering. - City Storyteller Beat
Become a citizen journalist and cover stories in your community with a solutions-journalism approach - Shining Light in Dark Spaces
An A to Z primer on what you need to know about how to cover municipal meetings. Written by award-winning reporter and Paterson Press Editor Joe Malinconico - Citizen Journalist Class
Learn all you need to know to become an effective citizen journalist - Participation Guide for Citizen Journalists
An easy-to-follow guide to learning how to become a citizen journalist - Reporting Skills
Learn the techniques to developing a great story.
- Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Training Class
Learn how to access local and state government documents like budgets and ordinances - Data Mapping
Learn how to tell stories with maps and public data using digital tools - Data Journalism Tip Sheet
Data can add more information to your storytelling. Learn the techniques to tell a more interesting story - Citizens’ Guide to the Media
This guide provides some general suggestions for utilizing the different methods and means of media involvement available to citizens to support their civic engagement activities - Photographs and Video Consent Form
Use this form to obtain consent from your photo or video subject for publication - How to Cover a Government Meeting
Government meetings can be intimidating to those unfamiliar with how they work. Learn what to watch out for when covering a meeting
Citizen Newsgathering Course YouTube Video