By The People: Hard Times, Hard Choices | Michigan Station Activities

Williamsburg Convocation
Local Citizen Deliberations
National Online Poll

Hard Times, Hard Choices

Michigan PBS Station Activities

By the People, a civic engagement initiative launched by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, working in partnership with the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, has received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for a Michigan-based project entitled “Hard Times, Hard Choices.”

The project engaged a diverse, representative sample of approximately 200 Michigan citizens in a face-to-face statewide Deliberative Poll around critical issues related to the state’s economy, education, and housing leading up to the 2010 election. Kwame Holman, correspondent for The PBS NewsHour, served as event moderator.

A group of Michigan public television stations are pursuing an array of community outreach projects building on the By the People Michigan “Hard Times, Hard Choices” documentary. They are engaging local communities through additional discussions, as well as broadcast and interactive Web elements.

Detroit Public Television

The By the People “Hard Times, Hard Choices” documentary is featured on MiVote, with 1-minute video vignettes derived from the broadcast, which may remain on the site through the November 2010 election. By the People” is also featured in Signal Magazine delivered to over 60,000 DPTV members.

WDCQ-TV Delta College

WDCQ will expand its weekly hour-long prime time public affairs program that addresses the local, regional, national, and international issues affecting citizens in the region into a 90 minute special following the By the People “Hard Times, Hard Choices” broadcast. The program includes studio guests and open phones, E-mail, and Fax questions and comments from the entire broadcast community. The dialogue continues on the web.

WCMU

WCMU will sponsor community events featuring moderated post-screening discussions in three locations beginning April 2010, Houghton Lake, Traverse City and Alpena, communities which are central locations in the station coverage area. They are partnering with The Houghton Lake Resorter (Houghton Lake’s newspaper) of Houghton Lake, Northern Michigan College of Traverse City and Alpena Community College of Alpena, MI. .

WKAR

WKAR will hold a series of face-to-face dialogues in Lansing, Jackson and at Michigan State, which will target the participation of young adults, community leaders and business leaders. Dialogue will focus on job creation and entrepreneurship, using “Hard Times, Hard Choices” deliberative poll findings and multimedia content. WKAR will produce a 30-minute “New Opportunities: Michigan” broadcast program that combines the By the People broadcast and local content to focus on jobs creation issues and opportunities in mid-Michigan.