After the Committee of Concerned Journalists was created, it embarked on an effort to talk to journalists about the state of journalism much in the way the Commission on Freedom of the Press, chaired by Robert Hutchins, did following WWII. At many of the forums, the public was invited in to share their thoughts. The goal was to tap into the power of journalists to speak out in their own behalf and, like Hutchins, clarify the purpose, values and standards of journalism for a new age. The forums serve not only as the basis for "The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect," a book outlining the purpose and basic tenets of the craft, but inform all the work done by the Committee. They laid the groundwork for the Traveling Curriculum, which has made the book into a set of teaching/discussion modules that are brought directly to news organizations. Listed below are links to excerpts from the Forums.

1. What Is Journalism? Who Is a Journalist? November 6, 1997, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Chicago, IL This forum brought together journalists from different backgrounds asking them to answer the question, "What is journalism?" We heard that these journalists shared a commitment to having their primary commitment be to the reader, reflecting the diversity of their community, to approaching reporting with an open mind, and to being a seeker of the truth. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
2. Can Journalism Be Impartial? The Media's Relationship to Fact, Fairness, and Gossip December 4, 1997, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY This forum focused on the question of impartiality in an age when journalism sees its role as increasingly to offer interpretation. We heard that, rather than strict objectivity, fairness, accuracy, and a sense of disinterestedness ought to be the goal. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
3. What Does Diversity Mean? February 2, 1998, University of Michigan Journalism Fellows, Ann Arbor, MI This forum explored whether traditional notions of diversity are adequate to the task of broadening journalism and concluded that often they are not. Simply creating a newsroom with the right number of faces or the right kind of faces serves little purpose. The aim needs to be true intellectual diversity and change in the newsroom culture that encourages diverse viewpoints. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
4. The Clinton Story and the Press February 18, 1998, National Press Club, Washington, D.C. This forum dealt with the press' coverage of the White House crisis. Here the Committee released its first study on the media's coverage of this story and a panel of journalists discussed whether the traditional newsroom as a place that separates rumor and innuendo from fact is still tenable in an environment where there are so many outlets for news. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum. Click here to read the CCJ study released at this forum.
5. Competency in the Newsroom February 26, 1998, The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, FL This forum examined what skills are required of a competent journalist and a competent newsroom as society becomes more complex and specialized. Some of the competencies these panelists named were "real worldism" or a truth detector; the capacity for modesty, sympathy, and ethics; and a sense of mission or passion for journalism. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
6. News as Entertainment and Entertainment as News March 4, 1998, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA This forum looked at the trends or pressures that may be getting in the way of journalism fulfilling its responsibilities. We heard that while entertainment is an essential element of journalism –every journalist needs to be a good storyteller – the lines between the two have blurred too much. Journalists need to make the important information interesting. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
7. Clinton, the Media, and the Future of Political Reporting March 27, 1998, National Press Club, Washington, DC This forum examined the future of political reporting as the Clinton-Lewinsky story was breaking. CCJ released a study the media’s coverage of the story. The day then moved into a broader discussion on the current climate, including a discussion of how interpretive reporting, while important can only be done after the basic are known, established and understood. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum. Click here to read the CCJ study released at this forum.
8. Press Coverage of Local Government April 14, 1998, University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Program on Southern Politics, Media, and Public Life, Chapel Hill, NC This forum looked specifically at the quality and quantity of coverage of local government. Click here for edited transcripts of this forum.
9. Quality Journalism Online April 23, 1998, University of California at Berkeley and the Stanford Knight Fellows, Berkeley, CA This forum, the first of two on the Internet and journalism, gathered for the first time many leaders of online journalism. They said excellence in journalism is possible online, but only if journalists maintain the values of honesty, fairness, accuracy, and a passion for journalism's mission. The panelists felt the biggest threat online was the blurring of advertising and editorial content. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
10. The Separation of Business and News in Journalism May 22, 1998, The Nieman Foundation, The Boston Globe, and WGBH-TV, Cambridge, MA This forum brought together several news executives and editors and producers to discuss the relationship between the practice of journalism and the business of journalism. Perhaps the most conclusive thing we heard was that in order to have the two sides of the operation truly connect, they need to devise specific definitions of reliability, integrity, and profit in a news organization. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
11. A Session with Investigative Reporters and Editors June 6, 1998, as a part of the IRE Convention in New Orleans, LA This was a two-hour session as a part of IRE's convention. Tom Rosenstiel and Bill Kovach gave a report on what the Committee had learned so far.
12. A Status Report and What Individual Journalists Can Do to Reach Readers June 24, 1998, hosted by Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on the eve of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention, Fort Lauderdale, FL This session was conducted as a part of the Hispanic Journalists Convention and aired live on NPR's Talk of the Nation, hosted by Ray Suarez. We heard that the connection news outlets once had with their audiences has often been lost and must be reestablished. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
13. Core Principles and Journalism Education August 5, 1998, American Educators of Journalism and Mass Communication convention in Baltimore, MD This was a two-hour colloquy as a part of AEJMC's convention. Tom Rosenstiel and Tom Goldstien discussed with attendees how journalism fits into the education system.
14. Quality Journalism in the 21st Century: The Challenges of Money, Medium, and Message September 25, 1998, with the Seattle Times and the University of Washington, Seattle, WA Katherine Foulton, who moderated this forum, asked panelists and the audience to look to the year 2010, think about what is fairly certain to exist and what are other possibilities, and then discuss the role of journalism in that year. We heard that there would still be a need for journalists as synthesizers and filters of information. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
15. What the Public Expects from the News Business: Identifying Minimum Obligations of the First Amendment September 27 & 28, 1998, University of Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO In Missouri, the forum series shifted focus again to examine the relationship of citizens and journalists. The citizen participants are looking for journalists to respect readers, but sense a lack of respect for readers as well as for sources. They also want a press that is a part of the community, looking for cohesion and trying to create a civic literacy. Click here for edited transcripts and speeches from this forum.
16. The Young Audience: Are Americans Abandoning Journalism? October 14, 1998, Emory University, Atlanta, GA This forum considered efforts to get the next generation of citizens to read, hear, and view news. We heard that many young people are looking for points of view from the media they consume. They want to see a passion, not "fake objectivity," but they also search for accuracy, honesty, and trustworthiness.
17. The Clinton/Lewinsky Story: How Fair? How Accurate? October 20, 1998, The Committee of Concerned Journalists, Washington, DC This forum was held in connection with the release of a third study by CCJ on the accuracy and fairness of the coverage of this story. Journalists such as Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of The Washington Post; Robin Sproul, Washington Bureau Chief for ABC News; and Michael Isikoff of Newsweek discussed the situations and choices news organizations had made. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum. Click here to read the CCJ study released at this forum.
18. Accountability: What Should It Mean? How Should We Change? October 22, 1998, with several organizations in Minneapolis, MN This forum probed further into the various levels of accountability journalists face, particularly those placed upon them by citizens and sources. Citizen participants called for journalists to have an intellectual knowledge of their subjects, an open-mindedness, a fair approach, and a passionate sense of mission. Click here for a summary and transcripts of this forum.
19. Community Case Study November 10, 1998, Alabama A&M University, WBRC-FOX 6, Huntsville, AL This forum brought together members of the Huntsville media with members of the community to discuss the role of journalists as a part of the community. The participants discussed the importance of journalists knowing and understanding the community in which they work.
20. The Good, The Bad, The Media February 18-19, 1999, Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo, CA This forum examined the relationship between journalists and their constituencies in small markets.