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As a journalism professor, I spend a lot of time talking to the future generation about local news. Sometimes, it’s exciting and motivating. But there are those days when it feels like I’m just not able to make the connection. The cognitive biases appear to be too ingrained to overcome. I can’t help but feel a little defeated in those moments, as though I’ve failed to make a meaningful connection or build enough trust to get them to rethink using social media as their only source of information. I catch the glazed-over look that says, “We know. And now what?”
It’s easy to push forward with the lesson plan and move on to the loss of civic engagement that follows the local news, or examine data on media ownership, but that rarely does any good. In those moments when we look at each other in a quiet resolve, I try to take a step back and truly listen to what they have to say.
Sometimes, no lecture can do as much good as understanding the root of their disengagement. And, in all truth, for local journalism, there’s little that’s more important than understanding what motivates the next generation to engage.
All that to say, I want to take a moment to do the same thing with this column. I’ve been doing a lot of talking, and it’s about that time for me to turn off my PowerPoint presentation, move away from the podium, and sit down for a real conversation.
Local news isn’t just a product to consume. Done right, local coverage connects neighbors and fosters a sense of community. But that only works if we’re building coverage around real questions people have, not guesses about what might interest them, or worse, what is profitable.
So, I want to know what challenges you about local news and what you feel it does right. What do you wish there was more coverage of? What do you want to learn about your city that you can’t find easily? What is missing, and what do you cherish?
If you stopped regularly engaging with local news, tell me what pushed you away. If you are a regular reader, please let me know what keeps you coming back.
In part, this is for my own edification. I like to know who I’m talking to and what they are about. But I also think this is an important media literacy exercise for us all – to reflect on why we engage in certain things and why we don’t. And sharing our concerns with each other, instead of screaming them into the ether, might challenge our cognitive biases and perhaps lead to solutions.
I will read your responses and explore ways in which I can improve my approach in my roles as a journalism scholar and educator, as well as my work as a partner to local news organizations. I will also unpack some of your concerns here, in this column, in the hope of sparking a broader conversation.
Help me start it.
Share your thoughts and concerns about local news. Send a short note with the subject line “Behind the Bylines: Feedback” to wunus@fitchburgstate.edu
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