What Journalists Said about FACS Seminars and Faculty:

 

Knows subject, communicates clearly, engages audience. Covered truly gigantic subject in a short period of time, with as much detail and as little distortion as possible. – Jim Broadway, State School News Service, Springfield, Illinois

   

Quick, but effective. A great course for a reporter faced frequently with boatloads of data and numbers. – Chris Coates, Suburban Journals, Collinsville, Illinois

 

Made a dense topic easy to follow and engaging. Spending time reviewing a sample budget was very helpful. – Emily Melchner, WCBU, Peoria, Illinois

 

Provided great resources that can be used after the seminar. – Jennifer Dooley, WUIS, Springfield, Illinois

 

Really helpful in helping us get behind the real story of rising oil prices – Moni Basu, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Informative and very timely – Mike Morris, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Always insightful, and humorous to boot. Fascinating. – Larry Ringler, Tribune Chronicle, Warren, Ohio

 

Very timely topic, and successful overview of the issues. – Kevin Roseborough, Fox 2 Detroit

 

Great forecasts on a global basis. Stuff we haven’t had before! – Mac Gordon, AutomotiveDigest.com, Farmington Hills, Michigan

 

As a new reporter to the automotive beat, I really appreciate it! – Jere Downs, Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal

 

Great statistics – clear presentation and analysis. – Julia Bauer, The Grand Rapids (MI) Press

 

Very high value presentation. – Robert Gardner, Motor Sports Center.com, Walnut Creek, California

 
FACS Shuts Down

FACS Has Discontinued Operations

With great regret, we are compelled to announce that the Foundation for American Communications has ceased operations, due to a lack of funding.

All activities, including seminars and webinars, have halted.

The FACSNET.org website will be maintained as a reference and research tool for journalists.

We appreciate the support of the many organizations who have funded FACS over the years, and the invaluable contributions of lecturers, industry experts, journalists, editors and others who have made our programs possible.

 
 

 

'Common Good Forecaster'

 

Online tool predicts outcomes from improvements in education

 

The American Human Development Project and the United Way has unveiled a new online tool to help predict local outcomes when improvements are made to education.

Using actual local data, the Common Good Forecaster can show, county by county, what changes in quality of life would occur when education is improved.

This is the latest project from the American Human Development Project (AHDP). Last year, it unveiled "The Measure of America," an index of quality of life issues in the United States which broke the data down by region. The authors of "The Measure of America" served as faculty last year for a series of six FACS tele-seminars that addressed health care, education and poverty.

Sarah Burd-Sharps, co-director of AHDP and one of the author of "The Measure of America," believes the Common Good Forecaster can be used by journalists reporting on education. According to Burd-Sharps, the tool uses current data, county by county, to 'forecast' expected changes when education outcomes are improved. "We look at the usual areas -- bigger paychecks and better jobs -- but also the less common issues (such as) voting rates, incarceration rates, obesity rates and low birthweight," she said.

Click here to check out the Common Good Forecaster.

 

 

  

The FACS advantage for journalists

 

The Foundation for American Communications sought to improve the quality of information reaching the public through the news. We believed better journalism can be achieved, adding substance to the public debate, when journalists have a stronger command of the fields they cover.  We ddid not  teach journalism, writing or how to organize newscasts; our imperative was to equip journalists to report knowledgeably on complicated issues.

 

 

Our mission...

 
 

"What Drives Detroit -- V"

 

Frosty weather at FACS' "What Drives Detroit" seminar matched the chilly news from Motor City -- Detroit's auto industry is tanking.

Can this once iconic American industry return to its glory days? Just how bad is the news? Check out the faculty presentations from the fifth annual seminar, held on the eve of the North American International Auto Show.

alt Seminar presentation (McAlinden): Government Rescue or Bankruptcy of Detroit

alt Seminar presentation (Sandler): Dealerships and Cars: Can Either Be Sold?

alt Seminar presentation (Cole): Change in Power Trains and Fuels