What New Yorkers Want From Local News

Here are our key findings:

• New Yorkers are eager for change. Residents explained that the decline of local news has left a major hole when it comes to finding basic civic information about municipal, town, village, county, and even state government. The New Yorkers we surveyed expressed a deep frustration at the lack of transparency they experience at all levels of government.

• Information gaps contribute to New Yorkers’ feelings of scarcity. People expressed a deep desire to engage with the state’s political processes to address issues in their communities, but felt generally unable to access or understand those processes. In many cases, information gaps left them feeling unable to participate in their own communities and in the democratic systems of the state. They were particularly interested in more information around housing and healthcare systems.

• Newsrooms want to change, too. A lack of resources often leaves newsrooms feeling unable to provide the basic level of civic information that community members request and need.

Here is some of what we heard at each of the locations:

In Rochester, 21 attendees joined a community listening session at Third Presbyterian Church. Participants expressed:

• Resentment over what they see as a pessimistic narrative surrounding Rochester. They felt even when compared to other cities in Upstate New York, Rochester gets a negative portrayal.

• A feeling of scarcity around information pertaining to social services and a hunger for deeper, data-driven reporting on topics like public safety and criminal justice.

“With the income disparity in Rochester, there are a lot of people who don’t seek out news because it seems pointless, or overwhelming and depressing,” said one resident. “People therefore don’t have access to news that could actually empower them and give them some hope.”

In Albany, 36 attendees joined our community listening session at the Albany Public Library. Participants expressed:

• Concern over the lack of accessible information for non-English speaking communities, specifically Spanish speakers, and how that could put communities at risk when navigating public health crises such as the COVID pandemic.

• A desire for closer scrutiny of municipal government in Albany, as opposed to state government coverage. Interestingly, people with some of the greatest access to state government operations said they still struggle to navigate information surrounding court decisions and state legislation, and that there is a need for clear communication and transparency.

“Where’s the programming for and by marginalized communities?” one attendee asked. “If we can’t get messages out through the media, we’re gonna suffer.”

At Potsdam’s Town Hall, 24 attendees joined the listening session that we hosted in partnership with North Country Public Radio (NCPR). They expressed:

• Frustration over the political polarization in the North Country and the media’s role in amplifying such divisions.

• A desire for more information on accessing social services such as addiction treatment services, transportation, disability services and resources for local business owners.

“If people could take advantage of benefits, it would have ripple effects for the greater community” one attendee said.

Nineteen people attended our listening session in Syracuse, held at the Syracuse Northeast Community Center in partnership with Central Current. Participants expressed:

• A desire for greater transparency and media scrutiny around development projects, such as the incoming Micron Technology plant and the I-81 construction project.

• A desire for more explanatory journalism that can break down decision making at different levels of government and empower people to participate politically.

“It is hard to understand how Albany policies will impact us in Syracuse [or our] county,” a resident said.

Survey

We wanted to learn about local news needs outside of the locations we visited, so we conducted a digital survey asking New Yorkers how they access news about their communities, and how empowered they feel to participate politically with the information they have. We collected 164 responses. Here are a few highlights.

“Do you feel you have a voice in the political processes that govern your life and communities? Why or why not?” Many respondents shared feelings of disempowerment:

“Yes, because I serve on the planning board and am involved at the local level. No, because I am not a wealthy political donor and we all know that money drives politics.”

Some respondents acknowledged that they have a voice in politics through the work that they do, but that their level of political access is abnormal.

“Yes. But I say that as someone who comes from a point of privilege by growing up in Albany, in a family that taught me to be involved from a young age. I also say this as someone who works for the NYS Legislature, is heavily involved in my local community’s politics and has the opportunity to vote. I do, however, feel that the opportunity and ease of access to have a voice in government is limited to those who have the above privileges. Not everyone — most people in fact — have not had the opportunities to have their voice heard that I have.”

And others felt left out because of their status in a marginalized group, and some said a lack of government transparency was a cause of political disempowerment.

“No. True community engagement has been stripped out of the process — partly by legal and in-practice weakening of state Open Meetings Law; partly by public hearings now dysfunctional through archaic legal notice publicity; partly due to apathy; and partly because local press is routinely out-maneuvered or under-staffed regarding timely notice.”

Perspectives from Local Newsroom Leaders

We were also able to interview local newsroom leaders about their efforts to respond to the needs of their audiences. We heard that outdated or poorly designed government websites contribute to a lack of transparency because they are so difficult to navigate — even for journalists. And despite a strain on resources and newsroom capacity, we heard enthusiasm from journalists to produce local news that responds to residents’ needs and empowers communities to engage civically.

“The Senate and Assembly system for looking up votes, [for example], is completely opaque,” said David Sommerstein, news director at NCPR. “It’s impossible to see who voted for what. It’s hard for journalists to find their way through it, let alone someone who wants to engage in a small way.”

We also learned that there are already coalitions forming across the state between media organizations who share resources and reporting. In the North Country, a collection of newspapers began sharing political stories during an election and continue to share stories with one another. And this year, a new statewide coalition emerged: the New York Public News Network, which is a collaboration between every public radio station, and some TV stations, in the state.