The Public Mind, Manhattan, KS 1995
Partners:
The Manhattan Mercury
KQLA-FM
The partners in “The Public Mind” project took a civic approach to exploring one local issue a month in depth and inviting citizens to discuss possible solutions. The series began, May 7, 1995, with an exploration of teenage binge drinking. In June, the topic was neighborhood associations; July, the student rental housing market and in September, a look at child care.
In the first week of the month, the Mercury devoted a page to a status report on the issue; in the second week it gave experts’ perspectives; the third week it published case studies of individuals affected by the issue and the fourth week it invited the public to address the issue in a community forum, usually attended by six to 10 people. Follow-up stories explored solutions that were suggested.
Contacts:
Bill Felber
Executive Editor
The Manhattan Mercury
318 N. Fifth Street
Manhattan, KS 66502
Phone: (913) 776-2300
Email: manmerc@konza.flinthills.com