This paper seeks to reignite the debate about public journalism as a panacea for citizen disengagement from public life and the diminishing relevance of traditional news media. It argues that public journalism is both an attitude and a set of professional practices requiring incorporation into newsroom routines in order for community engagement to occur. The paper revisits the Public Journalism, Public Participation and Australian Public Policy Project conducted in 1998. It does this to complete the project’s examination of how public journalism practice might be reflected in the routines of New South Wales regional newspapers, specifically to enhance the access of young, rural people to the mainstream media and to facilitate community dialogue on youth related issues.