Community Journalism

This series is for journalists, journalism educators, and especially community members. Telling the stories of the community doesn't have to be left to the professionals, and we know that many times, it's the community members themselves that have the richest stories to tell. One of The Weekly Challenger's Staff Writers, Nicole Slaughter Graham, will facilitate the conversation. Slaughter Graham has been working with the Challenger since her grad school days at USFSP. She's a full-time freelance journalist and project manager. 

Each webinar, she'll be joined by a special guest and expert in the subject of community journalism. At the end of the series, professionals and neighborhood members alike will have a better understanding of how community journalism works, what goes into community reporting, and why the community paper is so vital and important to the public at large. 

This is a four part series. Each event will take place from 12:30pm-1:30pm on the third Thursday of the month from April 15th through July 15th. Please see below for a description of each webinar and guest speakers. 

-----------------------------------------

Webinar #1 - What is Community Journalism  (April 15th @12:30pm ) 

Objective: Community journalism is a unique and nuanced form of journalism that calls for explanation. The characters are different, the stakes are different, and the audience served is different than that of a larger paper. In this webinar, we’ll spend some time breaking down what community journalism is, who community journalists are, and the purpose of a community paper.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Goliath Davis

Dr. Goliath Davis is a longtime community member who grew up in St. Petersburg's second largest historic Black neighborhood, Methodist Town. He was the first Black police chief in St. Petersburg and served as the first Black Deputy Mayor alongside Mayor Rick Baker. Dr. Davis is a longtime columnist of The Weekly Challenger as well, reporting on his own community and the issues he sees affecting the people 

 

Webinar #2 - Reporting on the History of a Community (May 20th @12:30pm) 

Objective: For community papers, history is one of the richest and most important parts of the paper. When The Weekly Challenger was first published, it served as the more holistic view of the African American community in St. Petersburg. Started at a time when racist politics and ideologies skewed reporting in the city’s mainstream paper, The Weekly Challenger, told the entirety of Black life from the Black perspective. It became the premier record of Black history in St. Petersburg because so much was missed by other outlets. In this webinar, we’ll talk about the importance of keeping that legacy alive through historical reporting.

Guest Speaker: Jon Wilson

Jon Wilson retired from the St. Petersburg Times after a decades-long career as a reporter. Alongside Rosalie Peck, he co-authored two books on St. Petersburg's Black community, St. Petersburg's Historic 22nd Street South and St. Petersburg's Historic African American Neighborhoods. Wilson serves as the Vice President of the African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg, Inc., and is one of the main facilitators of the African American Heritage Trail tour. 

 

Webinar #3 - How to Report on a Community (June 17th @12:30pm)

Objective: Too often, a reporter is assigned a specific community to cover, and they go into the endeavor blind. When reporting on a community, especially one that has been misrepresented and/or underrepresented in the past, a reporter can’t just jump into reporting without building trust, having historical context, and really understanding the issues that are important to the community. In this webinar, we’ll discuss those needs in detail.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Bernardo Motta

Dr. Bernardo Motta is a longtime, celebrated professor of journalism and communication theory. He is currently an assistant professor of journalism at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Previously, he headed the Neighborhood News Bureau at USFSP and helped hone the university's community journalism program.

 

Webinar #4 - The Issues  (July 15th @12:30pm)

Objective: In this webinar, we’ll look at how to report on the issues as they relate to the community. We’ll do this by looking at a particular issue that’s important right now, and drill down into how that issue relates specifically to the community.

Guest Speaker: J.A. Jones

J.A. Jones is the managing editor and producer of the Weekly Challenger News program. Also writing under the name Jake-ann Jones, she is an award-winning playwright, screenplay writer, and author of the upcoming Black Classic Press release Sometimes Farmgirls Become Revolutionaries: Florence Tate on Black Power, Black Politics and the FBI.

Register Now!