Democracy & the Informed Citizen Program

Democracy & the Informed Citizen Program

Funder: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (via Federation of State Humanities Councils)

Geographic Scope: Tennessee (statewide, diverse communities)

Purpose: Address critical questions about media access, coverage, and citizens' responsibility to be informed and engage in democratic processes

Status: This was a one-time initiative program (2020), not currently available

Focus Areas:

News outlets and media access for Tennesseans

Community responses to throttled access or monopolized coverage

Citizens' responsibilities to be informed

Engagement with policymakers

Media literacy

Rural journalism

Independent journalism

New media communities

Key Questions Addressed:

How do Tennesseans determine which outlets to turn to for news?

How do communities respond when access is throttled or when coverage is monopolized?

What are our responsibilities to each other and to our communities to be better informed?

Program Structure:

Series of five programs over eighteen months

Public programs across the state in diverse communities

Partnership with existing and new partner institutions and scholars

Compelling, challenging, and accessible public programming

Collaboration with Think Tennessee's "Mayors Growing Civic Engagement" initiative

Expansion of "Neighborhood Story Project" with five additional projects in 2020

Award Details:

Total funding: $34,000+ awarded to Humanities Tennessee

Funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Distributed via Federation of State Humanities Councils

Contact Information:

Humanities Tennessee

615 Main St, Ste. B19

Nashville, TN 37206

615-770-0006

info@humtn.org

Tim Henderson, Executive Director

Background:
This initiative aimed to encourage public conversations across Tennessee communities (urban and rural, diverse backgrounds and perspectives) about the relationship between access to information and strong, functional democratic institutions. The goal was to help Tennesseans regain trust in institutions and in each other.