OPINION: Public Square No. 50: Richmond extends its winning streak for robust civil discourse
| By Tom Silvestri, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. | |
| McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The topic will be exceptional.
The time will be a celebration.
And, thanks to you, we'll orchestrate the milestone as a community victory.
Started in
We had modest expectations.
All we wanted to do was open our doors to the public and be relevant in the examination of issues that could spur or shape decisions that improve the quality of life in the
The selected topics were linked to three questions:
Can we increase awareness?
Can we add to understanding?
Can we help create a commitment to solutions?
Eight years later, the
To be in position to complete as many open forums as there are states is a humbling achievement.
It means we've never lacked an audience, and we've always been willing to stretch a news organization's capabilities so we can pause and listen to our loyal readers.
One, readers value an invited opportunity to discuss news issues of importance to their communities.
Two, the moderated format requires respect, so comments deepen understanding of various perspectives rather than invite resentment with polluted points.
Three, all comments are on the record, so they can be shared in various forms, further extending the suggestions, analysis and knowledge. (The program is summarized in a next-day news story, captured in a video available in its entirety at TimesDispatch.com and excerpted in Sunday Commentary.)
Our Newsroom and Advertising teams have pushed into social media in big ways, but the
Yes, showing up is required.
But the Square has never been about needing to have capacity crowds. (We can seat about 195 comfortably in our first-floor auditorium.) Rather, it's about shepherding quality exchanges.
We were reminded about that standard with Public Square No. 48, which explored the
Ten minutes before the scheduled start,
There was a fleeting thought that maybe we should cancel -- for, gulp, lack of interest.
But that wouldn't be fair to those who took the time to come downtown on our invitation.
Besides, once the conversation starts, we focus on who joined us, not on who didn't come.
As it turned out, No. 48 was one of our best discussions. The small size may have had something to do with the result, but we also got lucky because the best commentators just happened to be everyone who attended.
From the moderator's perspective, that's what makes the
So far, we've never been disappointed.
Well, only when the microphones poop out.
Coming in 2014,
And of course, you're invited.
Topic
Date
1
Performing arts center
2
Tis the season to give...or not?
3
Crime: Has perception become reality?
4
Your right to know: Keeping
government open (Sunshine Week)
5
Home of the Braves? Will they stay? Where will they play?
6
Immigration: Is the issue immigration or illegal immigrants?
7
A conversation about the war in
8
Affordable housing in the
9
Social networking online: The
10
Customer service: Ho, ho, ho or No, no, no?
11
Underage Drinking
12
Real estate assessments
13
The
14
Mental Health: A personal issue with public consequences
15
Public schools: What's the best way to lead them?
16
17
The ultimate
18
Celebrities gone wild: What's the real impact?
19
20
Resolved: America should increase offshore domestic drilling to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Yes/No
21
A panel discussion on the economy: Tough times
22
Money wise in tough times
23
How will you help your community in the next 20 years? (volunteerism)
24
Shockoe Bottom is the best place for a new ballpark. Yes/No
25
Is government doing too much or not enough?
26
Understanding health care reform, with Reps.
27
Health care reform?
28
Creating jobs in
29
A conversation with Gov.
30
31
Reinventing
32
Uncertain energy: Is the gas car a dinosaur?
33
Set the agenda for state lawmakers
34
What's your
35
36
37
The debate over nuclear energy in
38
Making a difference in our community
39
What is professional baseball worth to
40
Are we doing enough for our veterans?
41
Making
42
Meet the
43
44
Do guns make us safer? Can we have a civil conversation?
45
Back rooms and back roads:
46
47
Food and jobs: Attracting RVA's next generation
48
Too much give and take? Should
49
Sabato on JFK: The Kennedy Half Century
___
(c)2013 the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)
Visit the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) at www.timesdispatch.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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