8 Schools were identified as a key topic of interest in the Phoenix area and became a unique subject of collaboration among The Arizona Republic, KPNX-TV and azcentral.com. Their months-long “Build Your Perfect School” project drew the community into  discussions over school quality that culminated in a town hall  meeting attended by the state’s governor.  Another group project arose from the deaths of 11 Mexican immigrants abandoned in the desert by smugglers. The “Dying to Work” series on immigration was just one result of a study con- ducted by the Broadcasting Division at Phoenix, Denver’s KUSA- TV and Sacramento’s KXTV-TV on ways to reach Hispanic viewers. Among the changes as a result: KXTV adopted a diversity-based strategy in news; personnel at the stations were taught correct  pronunciation of Spanish words; and the stations collaborated on community events with Hispanic organizations. In Cincinnati, April riots lifted the lid on the city’s simmering racial divisions. The Cincinnati Enquirer decided to do more  than cover the story and began its “Neighbor to Neighbor” initia- tive. Trained facilitators met with residents and wrote reports on what people were willing to do to improve race relations. The reports were posted online and written about in the newspaper. In addition, the newspaper took a poll, launched standing features on diversity and created lesson plans for its Newspapers in Education program.  The Courier-Journal at Louisville, Ky., developed the series  “Our New Neighbors” to educate readers about immigrants in the community. The series eventually became a traveling exhibit. Economic and social hardships facing rural Idaho were exam- ined by The Idaho Statesman at Boise. Five roundtable meetings with readers were held across the state.  Dozens of Gannett Web sites joined technology with innovation and good old-fashioned local reporting to portray their communi- ties in ways they never could before: • The Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle enhanced a  print special section on the community of Fairport with online multimedia interviews of residents, sounds of the village,  interactivity, games and photo galleries.  • The Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal’s Web site offered audio of  local church choirs to accompany a print package. Also produced: a CD of the songs that was distributed free to local libraries. • The News Journal at Wilmington, Del., produced a special report in the newspaper and online on local Holocaust victims. The report was done in conjunction with a traveling exhibition.  • The Courier-Post at Cherry Hill, N.J., supplemented coverage  of the closing of the Garden State Park racetrack with online video of the first and last races of the track’s final day and a  360-degree panoramic photo of the last race. When journalism wasn’t enough, the Gannett Foundation  was there for communities the company serves. The private foundation makes grants and matches gifts from Gannett employees to nonprofit organizations in more than 100  communities in the U.S. and Guam where Gannett has  operations. It also makes grants in the U.K. • CommuniGate, a project started in the United Kingdom by Newsquest in 2000 to help local organizations get on the Web, reached a milestone of 4,000 organizations online in 2001.  In 2001, the Gannett Foundation gave about  1,700 grants and 5,700 matching gifts totaling  $10.4 million to nonprofits in Gannett communities.  As partner to our communities, the Gannett Foundation continues to grow. Since the foundation  was launched with community grants in 1991, it has  distributed $74 million to thousands of programs. THE GOAL OF THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER’S “NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR” COMMUNITY INITIATIVE IS TO IMPROVE RACE RELATIONS. FROM LEFT: CINCINNATI ENQUIRER EDITOR WARD BUSHEE AND DOROTHY BATTLE, A RETIRED TEACHER WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE PROJECT’S STEERING COMMITTEE. BATTLE WAS ONE OF ABOUT A DOZEN CITIZENS WHO HELPED ORGANIZE AND IMPLEMENT THE INITIATIVE. SHE ALSO HELPED FACILITATE ONE OF 114 NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS. But they do more. Gannett connects to its communities in ways that go beyond the news. Gannett’s outlets are good citizens, constantly striving to make their communities better places to live and work. That connection became even more apparent – and more important – in 2001.  G annett newspapers, television stations and Web sites are trusted, familiar members of the  communities they serve. They cover the news, run the ads and inform the public. But they do more. Gannett connects to its communities in ways that go beyond the news. Gannett’s outlets Connecting