Reflections from the Common Ground Journalism Conference

By Nicole Donelan

Common Ground USA hosted the inaugural Common Ground Journalism (CGJ) conference at the National Press Club in early November. We brought together 25 university students from across the country who participated in this year’s CGJ cohorts to hear from and network with seasoned journalists and free speech experts. As one of the CG-USA team members leading the Common Ground Journalism program, he re’s my recap – and some reflections – from the weekend.

I’ve been working with these students since the inception of Common Ground Journalism, and it was incredible to meet so many of them face-to-face for the first time. Even better was seeing the community being built in real time.

Students shared updates on stories that began as pitches during their CGJ cohorts. Several were published in The Fulcrum, a digital news outlet that we partner with on the program.

The students also worked together on a co-creation challenge based on a fictional scenario about how they would report on a contentious speaker coming to campus who inspired protests and counter-protests. 

I loved how creatively students interpreted our prompt. In one presentation, students imagined an environmentalist organization being invited to speak by a student club in opposition to their university’s plans to develop a walkway around a lake on campus – and facing protests from a local organization representing fishermen (represented by “Tristan Fisher”). In another, students imagined a pro-life advocacy group finding creative ways to protest a pro-choice speaker: by asking tough questions and sparking dialogue.

One of the most significant challenges in higher education right now is how to inspire lasting and impactful civic engagement. How do we prepare students to not just engage with the civic world, but become leaders in it? How do we equip students to not just talk across difference, but think deeply about what actually unites us?

My answer: turn to the journalists.

Read spring cohort member Maggie Rhoads’ piece on The Fulcrum.

Student journalists are the ones who keep their campus communities informed about the issues that impact them. The nature of their work requires them to engage with and learn about diverse perspectives on every issue they report, and represent them fairly and accurately. These practices are essential to healthy civic life and democracy – and they’re doing it every day.

Over the course of the weekend, I saw those same instincts show up in how they engaged with one another: curious, thoughtful, and willing to dig into complexity.

The stories they’re developing – and the community they’re building – show how powerful student journalism can be when given the right support. If this conference is any sign of what’s ahead, I’m excited to see where these students take their work next, and grateful that I get to work with them.

Visit cg-usa.org/highered to learn more about Common Ground Journalism and apply for our next cohort!