A list of words to use and words to avoid from a study commissioned by Press Forward.
I think most of us would agree that words matter. What gets tricky is that words tend to take on different meanings for different people at different times. And it’s quite possible to be blissfully unaware of these shifts until a large research study smacks you upside the head and makes you question some of your vocabulary staples.
Take the word “journalism.” According to recently released research commissioned by Press Forward, a $500 million news fundraising initiative, it is best for media outlets to use the word judiciously or avoid it altogether when talking about their work with readers and donors.
The online survey of more than 3,000 adults in the United States was conducted April 17-23 in English and Spanish by the Beekeeper Group, a research and communications firm. It included “oversamples” for “five key groups”: adults ages 18–29, conservatives, progressives, Spanish speakers and Black/African Americans. Statistical oversampling, as explained by the Pew Research Center, is done to reduce potential bias by “selecting respondents so that some groups make up a larger share of the survey sample than they do in the population.” Focus groups, follow-up interviews and message testing were also done with more than 5,000 people.
The goal of the study was to “understand how Americans view local news, how those views differ across communities, and which messages most effectively inspire trust, connection and action.” Press Forward bundled the research with strategy suggestions in “Words that Work: A Toolkit for Newsrooms,” billed as a “research-based toolkit to help teams communicate the value of local news” to readers and donors. Some of the findings are surprising and somewhat concerning. But first, the good news.
There is a lot of support across the board for local news. Ninety-three percent of respondents say local news is necessary for democracy; 66% use local news and information to help make everyday decisions; and nearly all — 96% — agree that local news and information builds stronger communities.
About 87% of respondents say local news matters to them personally.
Nearly 89% say it is important to find ways to fund local information sources; 70% say they are willing to pay something for trusted local news, with most opting to pay $10 or under per month.
Another finding of the study: “Journalism” has become a dirty word.
In all demographic groups studied, journalism “didn’t rank in the top three trusted terms,” according to the researchers. All preferred such terms as “news” and “information.” Additionally, more than 70% preferred the term “local news and information” to “community news and information.”
According to the toolkit summary, participants expressed concerns that the word “journalism” felt “too institutional or politically charged.” “Journalist” also tested poorly. “Lead with your function, not your title,” the toolkit advises.
Perhaps more baffling: Four out of five respondents “feel they can easily find and access trustworthy local news and information.” What were their top trusted sources? Local television, social media platforms and community newspapers.
Thankfully, with this finding, researchers note that “perception doesn’t match reality. Even as newsrooms close and beats disappear, many Americans believe they are still ‘covered’ because they can find information somewhere, whether that’s on Facebook or in a community newsletter. The public doesn’t necessarily distinguish between depth and breadth, or between fact-checked reporting and unverified posts.”
My sense is that in our community, local news consumers do know about the changing media landscape. I hear from people upset at how thin the Wisconsin State Journal paper edition has become, and how little attention all local news outlets pay to county government. Last month I got an email from someone who was very frustrated when told that Isthmus did not have the resources to follow up on a complicated healthcare story he had suggested.
Another important finding of the Press Forward report is that 93% of respondents say local news is necessary for democracy. The researchers flag this as a “paradox” because many of these same respondents reacted negatively to “democracy messaging.”
“Years of political messaging have created fatigue around the word ‘democracy,’ and it now triggers partisan defenses regardless of people’s actual beliefs,” the report concluded.
The study teased out nuances among different demographics. For conservatives, “democracy” framing was a mixed bag, polarizing to some but motivating to others. They value local news but find national news politicized and disconnected from people’s lives.
Progressives scored “government accountability” as the most important service provided by local news. They also see local news as a tool for civic engagement and finding solutions to problems.
The toolkit takes all of these findings and repurposes them into suggestions for how newsroom leaders should talk about the value of their organizations.
In sum, the report is food for thought and will inform our messaging moving forward. But we are going on 50 years in business and think we have a pretty good read on our audience. We have also surveyed our readers and supporters. This summer we asked more than 1,000 of our donors why they support Isthmus. We excerpted 12 responses in a house ad in the November print issue. Neither “journalism” nor “journalists” seemed a turn-off. One said, “I support your mission, reporting and professional journalism.” Another: “Local journalism is important and I want it to survive.”
The report’s finding that 66% of respondents use local news and information to help make everyday decisions does sync well with our readership. Our calendar section, written and curated by Bob Koch, is consistently the most visited part of our website. Bob is likely one of the few remaining full-time calendar editors anywhere and his attention to detail and work ethic are legendary.
People use the calendar to go out at night and schedule family-friendly events as well as to find new hobbies to pursue and opportunities to gather as a community. An intern applicant recently confided that she used the calendar regularly to find stories to report at her network television gig. Sounds like a trusted “local news and information” source to me.
