Ohio media collaborated in an unprecedented project during an unprecedented political year to give voters a voice in how the presidential elections were covered.
The “Your Vote Ohio” media project will be the subject of a panel discussion at the Akron Press Club on Wednesday, Nov. 16. There will be the opportunity for questions.
The Your Vote Ohio project included newspapers and broadcast outlets from throughout Ohio. In addition, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation gave $174,990 to the nonpartisan civic engagement organization Jefferson Center and the Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at the University of Akron toward the project. The Akron Community Foundation also contributed.
The goal of the project was to engage voters in coverage of the campaign by raising issues and questions that the voters themselves saw as important. The panel will discuss what they learned about the ways audiences engage with journalism and what it will take to ensure a thriving and sustainable local media ecosystem into the future.
The panelists are:
§ Doug Oplinger – Akron Beacon Journal managing editor
§ M.L. Schultze – WKSU digital editor and reporter.
§ Andrew Rockway – Jefferson Center program director.
The panel will be moderated by Michelle Henry, principal and co-founder of the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research.
Details:
Program: The Your Vote Ohio project.
Time: Buffet luncheon starts at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Program follows.
Place: Quaker Station, 135 South Broadway (free parking behind the building).
Cost:
· $20 for Press Club members, $25 for non-members.
· Advance payment required for tables of eight.
· $25 for all reservations made after Friday, Nov. 11 (members and non-members).
Reservations requested: Click here for fast and easy online registration or contact Lianne Fowler, Press Club administrator, at 330-552-8860 or akronpressclub@gmail.com. Cash or check only accepted day of luncheon.
Reservation deadline: Noon, Friday, Nov. 11.
Cancellations: Cancellation requests must be received no later than 48 hours before the event. After that time, there will be no refunds and an invoice will be issued for payment.
The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students and sponsors annual fundraising and community outreach events.
