| Interaction | Percent |
|---|---|
| Read/watched/heard a news report on a topic you know a lot about | 73% |
| Witnessed/experienced something covered by a news organization | 60% |
| Commented on a news organization’s social media post | 37% |
| Known a journalist personally | 34% |
| Were interviewed by a journalist for a news story | 32% |
| Commented on a news organization’s website | 31% |
| Written a letter to the editor | 23% |
| Participated in a public event held by a news organization | 23% |
| Contacted a journalist with ideas or feedback | 21% |
| Had a conversation with a journalist on social media | 17% |
| Had your social media post included in a story | 15% |
MEDIALIT17: Few people report ever having personal interactions with journalists
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About the Author: Jeff Sonderman
Jeff Sonderman is the former deputy executive director of the American Press Institute.
Before joining the American Press Institute in 2013, he was the digital media fellow of The Poynter Institute. His earlier journalism background includes digital news — helping to launch TBD.com, a local digital news startup in Washington, D.C. — and various roles in newspapers, as an award-winning reporter, online editor and metro editor of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa. He was the architect and developer of API's Metrics for News analytics software that reinvents how publishers use data to inform content strategy. He also edited API's Need to Know newsletter, and designed API's Strategy Studies research format for in-depth strategic guidance. And he consulted with publishers on a range of issues related to content strategy, organizational transformation, audience development, newsroom structure and workflows and product management. He graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism.
