Series

Leaning into local identity and history can move our journalism from ‘we provide facts alone’ to ‘we provide facts and serve other important community functions.’

After breaking bread together a few times, “the media” grew a face and some humanity, and “the community” became more complex and interesting. Real relationships started to emerge.

Resident participants must have a way to inform and impact reporting practices — material proof of impact — not just offer story ideas.

The experience helped foster candid conversation without demonizing the media. With the commitment and intentionality of our community liaison, the local news advisory project also worked to amplify the voices of residents who are often afraid to speak up.

Ultimately, for the inaugural advisory committee, I believe the newsrooms benefited more than the community. I am hopeful that the media will access community members and information we shared as resources to cover stories that reflect the conversations from the advisory committee. 

What I didn’t know, but would quickly learn, is how uncomfortable and personal the discussions could get and, despite it all, how dedicated the committee was to making the process work.

After a six-month pilot of an ecosystem-wide local news advisory committee, we’re sharing a multi-part perspective series on this effort: an outgrowth of our deep, three-year commitment to the Pittsburgh media ecosystem, which included two learning cohorts, a dozen community listening sessions and now this committee.

These types of convenings can be a model for mutual learning where researchers and news leaders can combine their respective knowledge, expertise and experiences to promote positive community relations and encourage community progress. 

Building relationships, understanding their challenges and sharing insights are essential steps if we’re serious about reducing polarization and fostering greater understanding in our country.

I very much believe that researchers have important insights into the production and content of news. The challenge, however, is translating and communicating these insights.