Panel To Discuss ‘Where We Stand 7th Edition: The Strategic Assessment of the St. Louis Region’ Report
Today’s post is about a potentially interesting panel discussion, from the email I received:
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library Auditorium
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 6:30–8 p.m.
In today’s media, rankings are everywhere—from best ballpark food to top 10 vacation spots to most loved Harry Potter character—they can be fun and eye-catching. Rankings also inform citizens, politicians, businesses, and the media. Rankings are used to direct investments, drive competition, affect perceptions, and build a local, regional, and national narrative.
How does the St. Louis region measure up according to the numbers? Does perception match reality? How should we use rankings to tell our story? Join us for the first of three conversations to explore these questions and share your perspective.
On October 14th, St. Louis journalists Andre Hepkins (KMOV), Maria Altman (St. Louis Public Radio), Deb Peterson (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), and Alex Ihnen (NextSTL) will consider how we talk about St. Louis and rankings from East-West Gateway Council of Government’s Where We Stand 7th Edition: The Strategic Assessment of the St. Louis Region.
Check out the report before the event online at www.ewgateway.org/wws.
Brought to you by East-West Gateway Council of Governments, FOCUS-St. Louis, UMSL School for Public Policy and Administration, and the St. Louis Public Library.
I’ll be out of town so I won’t be able to attend.
— Steve Patterson
Alex may have a clue about the scope of the question, but you know this is the usual smoke and mirrors pretending to care about the welfare of the region. I looked at their website, well it covers everything, probably the only thing it doesn’t do is ask if you believe in God or not?
It is a formula for acting as if East West Gateway is a full participant in regional culture, it]s not.
Far better would be a 6 month blog with the same people responding to questions and comments.
And then after interest is piqued then maybe a meeting with the public.
The announced meeting is designed to produce nothing except the usual platitudes and is a waste of everyone’s time. It is a PR stunt mostly.
I’m guessing that you don’t plan on going?
Actually I’m waiting to see if you go. I want to watch the clown car fill up.
This document referred to is 22 chapters. While Alex may have a handle on a great deal of information due to his blog, I have to wonder why everyone else is media people. A tighter focus would no doubt help. Truly though it is time to get past these staged events and actually begin to act upon something real.
If this was anything else but eyewash, there would be a sustained effort on the Internet as well as public meetings that extend over a period of time to try to answer questions. This one off event, while perhaps having some value, in the long run does not begin to establish a process that can begin to address problems in society.
Certainly the media has a role, one they have failed with in so many ways. The many serious problems of society are given short shrift, while the next dog adoption is figured out.
The City of St. Louis has languished for about 60 years by now, surely some creative thinking is order.
Oh yes, the media is responsible for 60 years of job losses and horrid public schools that keep the middle-class population on the area’s fringes. Keep the priceless analysis coming.
No where did I Say the media is responsible for 60 years of job losses or the public schools. You may want to get some remedial reading help, either that or you drink too much, whatever your problem is, you are completely unhinged from reality.
Not directly related, but this should warm your heart and Steve’s heart: http://jalopnik.com/oslo-plans-to-permanently-ban-cars-in-its-city-center-1737450060
I’m not convinced total bans are the best solution. They might be…