Using civic journalism to drive the news home

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War and international news are about more than combat, weapons and game plans, winners and losers, terrorism and security. They are about courage and fear, problems and solutions, sacrifices and heroism and many other ripple effects that will impact communities.

From the civic journalism toolbox, here are 10 tips for chronicling community events touched by international ones – sometimes war.

1. In war, create a “Bytes from the Battlefield” feature. Invite local military officers to e-mail their diaries and observations from the front lines. War strategy won’t be permitted, but new understanding of far-away worlds should be shared. Continue this with international events.

2. Initiate a “Family Fronts” feature. Let family members share what they hear from their loved ones in service or overseas.

3. Appoint a business news scout. War and international events are more than military stories. They will be business stories, too. Gas prices might skyrocket, jobs can dry up, travel waxes and waned, imports and exports may be disrupted. Connect the dots for people.

4. Build action plans, not alarm. Assume terrorists will attack. Publish maps of safe shelters, escape routes, lists of emergency numbers and even advice on what to do when your cell phone is swamped.

5. Broker local problems with local solutions. Create a zone, in the paper or on the Web, where people with problems related to war or other international events – medical, financial, emotional – connect with people who can help them out.

6. Spotlight local, not just military, heroes. Let people see ordinary people doing things that make a difference in any international effort.

7. Create venues to answer people’s questions. Resignation can mask confusion and trepidation.

8. Avoid bi-polar syndromes. Go beyond the war hawks and the doves and America-centric attitudes. Capture the insights of people who see merits in both but have other concerns.

9. Reach out to foreign nationals in your community to shed more light on how the world views our nation.

10. Stay interactive. Set up a blog – in and out of a war situation – to help people chat, vent or check the veracity of information.

Jan Schaffer is executive director of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism.