Community Media Editorial Policies

1
Community Media Editorial Policies

• Editorial policies within
• Community media are
• often as diverse as the
• models themselves.
• However there are common guiding principals as
  well as unique operational challenges that
  community media makers continue to develop and
  refine

2
Community Media Models

• Community Radio
• PEG Access
• Print Media
• Digital Community

3
Editorial Policy

• What is your mission?
• How are you funded?
• Who or What makes the decisions?
• What is the impact on programming?
• What is the impact on your audience?
• Why do we care?

4
Community Radio

• Revenue and Grant Funding play a large role in
  the design of an editorial policy.
• In some cases, low power FM and other low
  frequency stations must adhere to FCC Guidelines
  in addition to the interests of the programming
  staff and audience
• Community Advisory Board

5
PEG Access

• PEG channels serve a wide variety of programming
  to a diverse audience Including community
  groups, religious groups, schools, and government
  sponsored programs.
• Diverse programming goals need strong editorial
  policies in place to guarantee access for all.
• This is not easy!

6
PEG AccessEditorial Policies

• Funding Requirements
• Organizational Status?
• 501 ( c ) (3) status?
• BylawsMission Statement
• Board of Directors
• Boston Neighborhood Network

7
Print Media

• Newspapers
• Zines
• Newsletters
• Informational Literature

8
Print Journalism

• Code of ethics
• Volunteers
• Integrity?

9
Digital Media

• Online-journalism
• Blogs
• Vlogs
• Message Boards

10
Digital Media Editorial Policy

• The Web Master
• Open Publishing
• Government Control?
• Free Speech?
• Users

11
Major Public Broadcasting Funder

• The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Created by the U.S. Congress in 1967Public
  Broadcasting Act of 1967
• First meeting April 26, 1968
• The Law requires 95 of CPBs appropriation from
  federal government dollars support local radio
  TV stations as well as fund improvements in
  programming and the public broadcasting system

12
CPB

• Annual Objectivity Balance Reports to
  Congress
• Reports are available to the public.

13
National Federation of Community Broadcasters

• Important Tidbits
• NFCB is a national membership organization of
  community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations
• 40 of the members serve rural communities, and
  46 are minority radio services.
• http//www.nfcb.org/