Creative solutions needed for local news to maintain trust and prevent “news deserts,” panelists say

To produce reliable and relevant local news, rural news organizations in Odessa are focusing on listening to their communities and partnering with neighboring news outlets, panelists said Thursday at a Texas Tribune event.

The panel of news professionals discussed the impact of “news deserts” and news avoidance in rural communities, as well as how news organizations in the Permian Basin are overcoming such barriers. The conversation was held at Odessa College as part of the Tribune’s “We the Texans” series examining the state of democracy in Texas.

News deserts and news avoidance

A “news desert” refers to a county or region where residents have very limited or no access to local news.

People living in news deserts can still experience information overload. It’s like living in a food desert, said Ben Toff, assistant professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Minnesota. Without access to a grocery store, people rely on fast food and junk food to fill them up. Without access to local news, people rely on social media outlets, like Facebook, and friends to fill them in. And that can result in them not getting access to important information they might need to navigate their lives, Toff added.

Toff, co-author of "Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism." has had many conversations with people who avoid the news. Some express that news can make them feel overwhelmed or emotional, while others tell him it’s just not important as other things in their lives.

“They feel like they just do not have time or the bandwidth to focus on it given, you know, the young kids that they’re raising, taking care of an aging parent, working full time. People's lives are stressful enough.” Toff said. “But they feel like it's a more efficient way to live their lives to not be paying close attention.”

There are two local newspapers, as well as radio and TV stations, that cover the Midland-Odessa region, according to Mitch Borden, a Permian Basin reporter for Marfa Public Radio. For the entire Permian Basin region, geographic size, the varying experience of journalists and the difficulty of retaining news staff make reporting on the area a challenge, he said.

“Yes, there are a lot of working journalists, but there are also a lot of stories to cover.” Borden said. “We also have to ask ourselves, ‘What is their experience level? Are we retaining people for long term? Or, are people starting their careers here and leaving?’ ” He said this type of turnover can impact the quality of news and information that communities can access.

Local partnerships

For rural news organizations, which often lack substantial resources and staffing, Patrick Canty, publisher of The Odessa American, says it’s important to do two things. First, he said, act like a PGA golfer, focus on your organization’s game and do the best you can. Second, create partnerships with other local news organizations to pool resources and produce better storytelling, he said.

“The radio station I’m partnering with, or the PBS station, or the local, CBS affiliate, it helps the quality of their product and it helps the quality of mine. And also we cross-promote, and also, we have a great time doing it together and we build friendships and professional relationships.” Canty said.

Community engagement

Local news organizations can engage with a wider audience by paying attention to what the people in their community care about and how they consume news, panelists said.

“Putting efforts into engaging the public is essential. You can’t just do the reporting, post the story and expect people to see it.” Borden said. “Going to people where they are is a great way to cultivate an audience, and to just let people know you're out there doing the kind of work you’re doing.”

News organizations shouldn’t assume that a lack of engagement in their news is the public’s problem, Toff said.

“No other industry, when people don’t want to buy their products, go around saying, ‘Well something’s wrong with the public that they don’t want what we’re putting out.’” He said. “If you want to get these audiences to be excited and engaged and interested, it also means including them in the news-gathering process and doing stories about things that they do actually care about.”

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