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New York Focus published the findings from our statewide community listening tour, where we traveled across the state to understand what New Yorkers want from local news. We’d love to share them with you. Join us virtually over lunch next Tuesday, Dec. 17 for discussion.

• 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.

While we opened both the survey and the listening sessions to any New Yorker, we know that the pool of respondents we heard from only scratches the surface. We hope to continue our community listening efforts. 

Is there anything else you’d like to know?

Here’s 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.

Our Syracuse partner, Central Current, invited us to discuss the report on WCNY. You can listen to a conversation between report co-authors Alex Arriaga and Kate Harloe and Central Current’s Chris Libonati and Maximilian Eyle.