What Doug McGill Learned Teaching Citizen Journalists

A guy who teaches basic journalism skills to citizens in community education classes in Minneapolis learned a lot himself out of these classes (see Doug's Report webpage)

Here are the main lessons he's learned from his students, so far:

1. Citizens are an untapped source of expertise and positive civic energy that journalists can help unlock.

2. There is no substitute for a strong, independent, institutional journalism.

3. Citizens can help journalists reconnect to the wellsprings of their craft.

4. Journalists need to learn citizenship skills, as much as citizens need to learn journalism.

5. A good citizen journalism class, like a great newspaper, allows for all types of expression – artistic, poetic, literary, photographic, musical, comical and fun.

6. Citizens create vital community consciousness through the discipline of writing journalistically.

See details here.