[Imc] Racial Climate Survey Coverage Group

[Paul Riismandel]

The newsroom group decided that the Racial Climate Survey in the Champaign 
Public Schools deserved ongoing coverage, and so we formed an informal 
working group to produce at least one radio piece to air on WEFT and to 
produce written pieces for the website.

I wish to stress that this group is informal and completely open.  Like 
every group at the IMC, we can always use help--anyone interested in 
assisting with this effort is welcome and invited.  You can contact me or 
anyone attending the meeting to get up to date.  We can all work over 
e-mail to figure out other angles or things to cover.

We're trying to treat this story as an ongoing effort and not a one-time 
event.  The Champaign Schools will not feel an incentive to actually do 
anything about the survey if they feel like the lights are off 
them.  Continuing coverage of issues like these is what keeps people 
thinking about them and provides incentive for change.  Therefore we can 
really use ongoing help from different people interested in getting their 
feet wet in journalism.  That way we can avoid burn-out while producing 
something interesting, thought provoking and useful.  I personally hope 
this effort can serve as a model for the IMC to use in covering other 
issues in a comprehensive, ongoing manner.

The next meeting of this group is next Sunday, 3/4 at 2:15pm after the 
regular news meeting.  Again, everyone is welcome and invited to participate.

Here's Notes from Sunday's meeting:
The group working on this story met after the news meeting Sunday.
Present were Gina, Mark E., Paul K., Paul R and Jason C.

Here's where we are:
We decided to do a series of 2-3 radio pieces, along with accompanying 
written pieces for the site.

Story #1 -- The Survey Presentation, to air 3/7 on WEFT
We have most of the audio we need, between Mark's MD of the presentation 
and Gina's interviews with attendees. Paul will talk to John Lee Johnson.

Story #2 + #3
One will cover some historical background to this survey. For example, 
Rockford schools chose to fight a similar suit and it cost them $8 Million, 
a fact not lost on Champaign Schools.

The other will cover where and what happens now?  What action will spring 
from this report?
Paul K. will work with Gina to get up to date on this issue to do some 
recorded interviews with School Board members, school superintendent, etc.

Due to people's schedules we will have to delay stories #2 & #3 until late 
March, early April, story #1 should be on schedule.

The group working on this story will meet again next Sunday, 3/4 at 2:15pm 
(after news meeting) to begin putting together the first WEFT piece.  Jason 
C. will help with post-production as necessary.