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The biggest under-covered beats

In February, I posted my first attempt to answer this question, and I came up with the following list:

  • Poverty and segregation
  • Diversity and immigration
  • Science
  • Education (primary, secondary and higher)
  • Business from an average consumer’s point of view
  • Labor
  • Media criticism
  • Public transportation
  • The rental housing market
  • Public health
  • Political substance (as opposed to the electoral horserace)
  • Criminal justice and prisons (as opposed to individual crimes)
  • Grassroots arts and culture production
  • State politics and public policy

Some of these topics, especially those that traditionally end up in the business section of the newspaper, represent a subtle by predictable "pro-business" bias, as opposed to the "pro-public" bias we'd prefer.

Importantly, the Knight Foundation has kick-started a nationwide conversation on this topic. Here are some of the preliminary ideas presented at the June 24 meeting of the Knight Commission on the Information Need of Communities in a Democracy:

  • Economic development
  • Environmental protection,
  • Education,
  • Hunger and poverty,
  • Emergency preparedness,
  • Public health,
  • And the performance of government itself.

What are your thoughts?

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