Preserving Democracy
A reporting initiative on democracy and civics in America
Preserving Democracy is a multiplatform initiative from The WNET Group in New York City designed to spark dialogue among diverse voices about civic engagement and democracy across the political spectrum. The initiative also supports collaboration with PBS stations and organizations across the country.
As a Producer on the Preserving Democracy team, I served as Series Producer for a digital series, A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy, as well as Segment Producer for several episodes. I also developed partnerships that expanded the impact of the initiative, particularly for the voting outreach effort, #ReadyToVote2024.
Do you have what it takes to be a good citizen?
A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy is a multi-part digital series that explore ten habits of being a good citizen. Inspired by “The Bill of Obligations: Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” by author and diplomat Dr. Richard Haass, the series digs into real-life examples of Americans who are striving to build a healthier democracy and who embody the spirit of a more informed and engaged citizenry — one person at a time. I served as Series Producer for the series as well as Segment Producer for several episodes, including the two below. Watch the trailer.
Braver Angels episode viewer comment
“Excellent video. I was particularly struck by the idea that our form of government, democratic republic, is the form of government that requires the most of its citizens, actively participating with virtue, and that it was more than voting. I never thought of it that way, and that really gave me something to think about.”
Braver Angels episode viewer comment
“I thought the idea that when we take pleasure in doing what is right, even though it may be difficult or uncomfortable, we can begin to lay the foundations of virtue as a habit. I think in any discussion it takes both sides to engage, but if I can maintain a position that seeks out the good of humanity, I will be better equipped to discuss these current tough topics. I have a long way to go and to learn, but I want to start being part of unifying and not dividing.”
#ReadyToVote2024
Preserving Democracy‘s #ReadyToVote2024 campaign partnered with public media stations and colleges across the country to hear from students this election season. What issues are most important to them? What are their views on democracy? Why does voting matter?
The campaign focused on a hashtag campaign to get people and their friends excited to vote and know the steps of preparing to vote like registering, getting to know what’s on their ballot, and understanding the election process.
Partners
In addition to PBS station and college partners, we partnered with organizations like Students Learn Students Vote and Ballotpedia to bring even more awareness to to the ways that people can feel empowered and ready to vote.
Year
2024
Partnerships for impact
Preserving Democracy developed many partnerships across the country that helped to enrich the initiative with fresh content and ideas, diverse voices, and much-needed context about the history of our democracy and civics in our country.
We partnered with POV to showcase a series of short films about democracy in a collection called Democracy Uprising. We also co-presented the broadcast of Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? and co-hosted the NYC premiere event of the film.
Partners also helped us reach new and younger audiences by expanding the impact of the initiative into classrooms and communities.
Voices for Change
Voices for Change: Democracy and Climate Action is a multi-part digital series hosted by The WNET Group’s Hari Sreenivasan. This collaborative effort with the Human Impacts Institute showcases the crucial connection between democracy and effective climate action through a variety of personal perspectives from climate leaders like Jay Hakes and Sophia Kianni. The series, tied in with the #ReadyToVote2024 campaign, also prompted people to share creative art posters around voting, democracy and climate change.
The conversations and art submissions offer perspective on how a healthy democracy is essential for addressing the climate crisis and protecting our communities and cultures.
Winning artist for Voices for Change: “Your Vote Matters to Her” screen print by Rhonda Babb, Philadelphia
Creative expressions on the intersection of climate action and democracy
National initiative, local focus
Helping people stay informed and engaged about what is happening at a state level is a key goal for the initiative. We were able to provide fresh content about local politics with the help of a network of PBS partners across the country who contributed stories to our interactive map that allowed people to filter and see what is happening in their own state.
