Newswise — PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 20 — A new report from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication’s Agora Journalism Center found that Oregonians are unequally served by local news media and that some communities have few places to turn for local news. The report also describes how journalists and civic leaders are deeply worried about the state’s ability to confront its challenges at a time when the number of news outlets is declining, news audiences are shrinking and misinformation is on the rise.
The report, “Assessing Oregon’s Local News and Information Ecosystem 2022,” is co-authored by Agora Journalism Center’s Research Director Regina Lawrence and Director Andrew DeVigal as well as two UO School of Journalism and Communication doctoral students. The research is the first effort to comprehensively count the number of legacy and start-up news outlets around Oregon and assess the state’s local news and information ecosystem. It includes an interactive map of news outlets around the state that are regularly producing original local news.
It also involves an extensive review of research demonstrating the importance of local news to community civic health; insights from interviews with over two dozen Oregon journalists, experts and civic leaders; and recommendations for strengthening our local news ecosystem.
“At a time when Oregon, like so many states around the country, is facing critical challenges, it’s important to recognize the irreplaceable role of local news in our state’s civic health. The decline in local news production in Oregon mirrors national trends, but Oregon can learn from initiatives being tried in other states and be a leader in reversing the decline,” Lawrence said.
The authors say the report’s findings raise concerns about Oregon’s news and information infrastructure because research shows that areas without local news have lower rates of civic engagement, higher rates of polarization and corruption, and a diminished sense of community connection.
“The evidence is increasingly clear that the civic health of communities is inextricably linked to the future of local news. Our analysis represents a step toward evaluating the state of the local news and civic information ecosystem in Oregon. We’re eager to collaborate with others who care about strengthening Oregonians’ access to trusted news and information based on the recommendations we outline in the report,” DeVigal said.
The report includes examples of how many of Oregon’s legacy news outlets are finding ways to adapt, innovate and grow despite the increasingly challenging environment. It also highlights innovations happening around the country to encourage more collaboration among newsrooms to leverage limited resources, guidance and tools from journalistic support organizations, and efforts in some states to implement public funding to sustain local news.
The full report, available on Agora Journalism Center’s website, is one example of the work the center is doing to improve the future of local news and civic health in Oregon and beyond.
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About Agora Journalism Center
The Agora Journalism Center at the UO School of Journalism and Communication is the University of Oregon’s forum for the future of local news and civic health in Oregon and beyond. The center was formed in 2014 with the foundational belief that the health of democracy and journalism are inextricably linked. Since then, the center has been a critical champion for the idea that professional journalism must become more participatory and collaborative with the public if journalism is to meaningfully improve communities’ information health and earn the public’s trust in local news media.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon, established by the Oregon legislature in 1876, is a premier public research university that serves its students and the people of Oregon, the nation, and the world through the creation and transfer of knowledge in the liberal arts, the natural and social sciences, and the professions. It is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a top-tier research university and is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, a group of more than 60 leading public and private research universities in the United States and Canada. The UO offers over 300 degree and certificate programs. The UO’s tradition of interdisciplinary research continues today in major centers and institutes involving hundreds of researchers, students and supporting staff members. They range from the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact to the Institute of Molecular Biology, the Institute of Neuroscience to the Center for High Energy Physics and the Oregon Humanities Center. In addition, the National Security Agency recently designated the UO a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research, and the UO’s new Center for Translational Neuroscience seeks to inform public policy while translating this knowledge into clinical applications and novel therapies.
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