In Interview, Publisher Says Public Square May Be Part of the New Media Model

On Tuesday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch will host its 23rd Public Square with a focus on community volunteers and civic engagement, emphasizing the massive tide of retiring Baby Boomers who are expected to have idle time on their hands in coming years. Late last week, I spoke to Times-Dispatch Publisher Tom Silvestri about this Public Square event, and about how the Public Square concept fits into the evolving business model of Richmond's daily paper.

We started our conversation with a look at how this particular Public Square topic came about, and why it was so Boomer-centric.

"This Public Square has some connections to other things going on right now," Silvestri explained. "Some of it is my own connection to the Older Dominion project, which is connected to the Boomer Project. The 20 year window is just us projecting out, being somewhat provocative about the huge number of Boomers who are retiring, and the need to engage them in a different way."

"One way that things become topics is from suggestions," he continued. "The backdrop for all of the Pubic Squares is how active our community is around issues. This one has been on our list for a while, and it's tied to several studies that have been done, or are being done."

Those reports paint Richmond in mixed light.

"A Pew Institute study actually has Richmond in the middle of the pack," Silvestri said of civic engagement. "Are we satisfied with Richmond being just average? There's an anecdotal sense that the same 20 percent of the region keeps showing up (for civic engagement activities) again and again. How do we get the other 80% to show up?"

Silvestri thinks Tuesday's Public Square event might help the region answer that question -- or at least give voice to four people who are actively engaged in changing that percentage.

The Public Square takes place from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. at the Times-Dispatch's offices at 300 East Franklin Street. It will feature Reggie Gordon, CEO of the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross; Nikki Nicholau, director of the Office on Volunteerism and Community Service, Virginia Department of Social Services; Vanessa Diamond, director of HandsOn Greater Richmond, which links volunteers to meaningful projects; and John Martin, head of the Southeastern Institute of Research and co-founder of the Boomer Project. (Robin Farmer provides a great summary of the Public Square's focus in her article in Sunday's Times-Dispatch.)

Silvestri is curious about what impact, if any, Tuesday's event will have on how the Richmond region talks about civic engagement, volunteerism and the retiring Baby Boomer bubble. His measure of impact is wrapped around two notions.

"There are two measures -- how many people show up, and the conversation that happens, especially if that conversation creates connections," he said. "Another measure would be if we get a better sense of where our community really falls in relationship to public engagement."

He thinks this Public Square might trigger additional follow up by the paper on the topics raised.

"The number one question we get from the Public Square events is, 'Where does this lead?'" Silvestri said. "I always tell people that is up to them. But this is one conversation that we may follow up on. In the end, we're hoping people have important and insightful things to say, that people take interest in what is being said, and that they take action in our community."

At a higher level, that seems to be the impact Silvestri hopes the Public Square concept has in a variety of areas. And he's actively thinking about how the concept might impact the role -- and business value -- of a regional newspaper in a tough environment.

"We're all wrestling internally," Silvestri said. "I think that the Public Square might be the or a major component of the modern media company, and all companies are reflecting on reinvention right now. But you can't reinvent in a conference room. You have to reinvent shoulder-to-shoulder with your customers, your advertisers, your business partners."

"The joy I have with the Public Square concept is that it causes people to rethink their relationship to the newspaper," he continued. "And I see the potential for this to be much bigger. What we haven't done yet is use technology to expand it. I think it has the potential to be the business model, but because we are a business until it brings in greater results it's still just part of what we do."

Silvestri doesn't see the Times-Dispatch owning community conversations in the Richmond region, but he sees an opportunity for the newspaper to be a catalyst for conversations in a way a print publication alone can't be.

"You can't go in with a hair shirt and say that you own the community conversation. No one can," Silvestri said. "The community owns the conversation."

"But there's a real sense of discovery here, and that's exciting," he concluded.

The next Richmond Times-Dispatch Public Square happens this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at 300 East Franklin Street.

Comments

[Scott Burger]

As I have told Silvestri many times before, this Public Square stuff does not excuse the TD or Media General from doing proper disclosure as journalists. We have seen a noted lack of disclosure over and over again when it comes to covering certain issues. SaveRichmond.com has tried to bring attention to it when the TD covers the downtown arts center without mentioning its own corporate involvement. Oregon Hill found it when Brian Glass wrote a highly innacurate "Business" column regarding the controversial VCU student rec center without disclosing his business ties to VCU. It is shameful that Glass is continued to be quoted in the TD and has continued writing columns on Richmond.com. The guy has never apologized to the neighborhood for the damage he has caused. Even more galling is that the last time I checked, Brian Glass is still on VCU's "Community Advisory Committee". What community does he represent? The real estate lawyer and dishonest media writers? My point is that the TD and Media General may try new stuff like the Public Squares, but they are still failing in basic journalism for the region. And no one should believe anything that Brian Glass writes.

[john too]

I have to agree with Scott. The RTD promotes its own agenda. Another example is the huge coverage of the Folk Festival - large articles months and months out and at least one a month. What they neglect to mention is that it is a trade in sponsorship. Other events get negligable coverage, especially compared. Granted the Folk Festival is a great event, but there are many other events and functions that would appreciate 1/10 the coverage but are not sponsored by the RTD. And, it is not like the RTD or Media General to support the community with money, mind you. But, they will charge nonprofits.

[John Sarvay]

Of course it promotes its own agenda. That's what every newspaper in the country does. Where did we get the idea that newspapers are unbiased or altruistic? We have a 200+ year-old history in this country of newspapers being everything but that.

[Paul]

"no one should believe anything that Brian Glass writes."

Brian, welcome to the not so small, but every growing list of Scott's unbelievables.

[Scott Burger]

Again, its about proper discosure, which is basic journalism.

[Scott Burger]

Paul, this is not just my opinion. Glass spread innacuracies in his TD column and did not disclose his business relationship with VCU. That's fact.

[John Sarvay]

Scott - Are you suggesting that every time the TD or the NYTimes or the LATimes publishes a story where their corporate onwership has a stake or has made a commitment or has invested should run with a disclaimer? Call me naive (I'm sure you or others have before), but I've always felt (and experienced) that there is a very large wall and lots of layers between the reporter's desk and the publisher's corporate commitments. When I was at the TD, I never experienced a story being assigned, pulled or edited because of the TD corporate or Media General desires.

[Scott Burger]

Sure, sometimes its up to the writer to be honest and make his/her own disclosure, or at the very least be honorable enough to apologize and correct innacuracies. On a larger scale, do you really think the Times Dispatch should not make clear its corporate involvement with the VaPAF? SaveRichmond.com and I had to hound them over and over again about it in order to get even simple disclosures of their involvement. Do you recognize what it took to finally get reporters over there to look into the VaPAF's financial problems? "Are you suggesting that every time the TD or the NYTimes or the LATimes publishes a story where their corporate onwership has a stake or has made a commitment or has invested should run with a disclaimer?" As much as possible- ITS BASIC JOURNALISM. To be fair, its certainly not just Media General and TD that has not respected this. Its part of the reason that this country is in this much of a mess in the first place!

[john too]

I also think that it goes beyond the disclosure. It is coverage of a function or event vs. the lack of coverage of other events. And, I am talking about the coverage a year before the event and the months following up. Their pet projects get various articles in the paper, in various sections, while other nonprofits and arts organizations cannot get coverage.