Washington, D.C. – At a time when the state capitol beat reporter has become an endangered species, the latest advance in citizen education and open government is something that people in most states have yet to discover: noncommercial state public affairs networks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recommended that all 50 states should create this kind of “open window” on their own capitols if they don’t already have one. But is this recommendation more easily made than accomplished? And can it actually help the political reporters and capitol correspondents that remain? On December 14, the National Association of Public Affairs Networks (NAPAN) and the Knight Foundation will host A Crisis of Coverage: The Future of Statehouse Reporting at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The program, recorded for national TV distribution, will bring together government officials, leading scholars, and statehouse reporters to discuss emerging strategies for restoring statehouse coverage nationwide. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Newseum’s John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Studio, and can be viewed live online by visiting www.NAPAN.net. A Crisis of Coverage: The Future of Statehouse Reporting was made possible through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The National Association of Public Affairs Networks has been conceived to help establish and expand in all 50 states noncommercial television networks devoted to providing citizens with fair, balanced, and unfiltered access to their state governments: to foster and nurture the institutions that will help create the informed electorate that will shape our democracy in the years to come. It is represented by networks from more than 20 states, including Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.NAPAN.net.