NewsBeat

June 2019 NewsBeat 7 ount Margaret Sullivan among the journalists stunned by Pew Research Center's new report finding that 71 percent of Americans think local media are financially thriving. "To us of us in the newspaper business, it's unbelievable to hear that," Sullivan, media columnist for The Washington Post, told journalists gathered in Albany last weekend for the New York Press Association's spring conference and trade show. The Pew report, released in late March, also noted that just 14 percent of the 35,000 adults polled said they had paid for local news in the past year. The reality is that local media, especially newspapers, have faced serious financial difficulties in the last 20 years. As revenues have fallen, many newspapers have closed while others have substantially reduced the size of their newsrooms. Newspapers need to do a better job of telling our story By JUDY PATRICK C Earn trust face to face, one on one friend said to me, it's hard to know what to say when you're just trying to cover a local arts festival, and someone asks if you're there to do "fake news." (Ha ha. So funny, dude.) In person as well as online, there are some people who may not be worth engaging with. If they're rude, bigoted and seem unreasonable, they're not worth your energy. But otherwise, try giving people the benefit of the doubt. Answer them in good faith, as if you have a mutual goal to learn about each other. When possible, end the interaction by handing out a business card and inviting future feedback and questions. Here are a few common topics of complaints and ways you might try responding. • GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT "THE MEDIA": Mention a few stories you've done lately that you're proud of, so you can expand their idea of what journalism is. A ccording to Pew data released last week, about 80 percent of Americans say they have never spoken with or been interviewed by a local journalist. And their chances of having had those interactions go down the less white, rich, educated and old they are. Think about that: Most people have never *met* one of us! Is it any wonder, then, that they don't naturally trust us or understand our work? Each time we talk to someone face to face — while officially on the job or otherwise — we have an opportunity to be an ambassador for our profession. Our newsrooms have staff members who interact with, collectively, a lot of people every day. How can we all use those interactions to help correct misconceptions and share the value of what we do? It's tempting to ignore it when someone makes a casual disparaging remark about your newsroom or your profession. And as a reporter Tell them that your newsroom is made up of people who live in the area and cover things like traffic, schools, health and sports. Say that you're always looking for feedback and ideas and try to get something specific out of the person. • COMPLAINTS ABOUT "FAKE NEWS": Try saying, "You know we don't actually make things up, right?" Ask them what they're afraid will happen in the story you're reporting today. Also try asking them what signs they're looking for that information is credible. • ACCUSATIONS OF A LIBERAL BIAS: Acknowledge that there is a lot of partisan information out there and that irresponsible and lazy journalism is frustrating. Then assure them you and your colleagues work hard to be fair. Ask if they have feedback about any of your recent coverage. — Joy Mayer, Trusting News director For Sullivan, the Pew report underscores the need for the media to do a much better job of telling its story and making sure people understand its public service value. Attacks on the press' integrity, from President Donald Trump as well as via social media, have had an effect, she noted. "It's really tough to see my beloved profession change so much in people's eyes," she said. She recalled her 12 years as a reporter and ultimately top editor at The Buffalo News. When she walked into the newsroom, she felt like she was walking onto sacred ground. "I had the sense that I was doing something noble and that people knew it," There is, nonetheless, room for some optimism, with journalism's defenders stepping forth at both the national and community level, she said. But the industry needs to counter the onslaught of negativity and emphasize the value especially of what Sullivan calls the reality-based press, she said. Sullivan offered journalists at the NYPA conference five suggestions for improving the public's understanding of journalism: 1. Publish a regular editor's column. 2. Be much more transparent about how we work. 3. Push back when our integrity is slammed. "It's one thing to say 'I respect and value your opinion.' It's a better thing to say 'we're a really important part of democracy and when you say that you are actually undermining one of the pillars of democracy'," Sullivan said. 4. Seize every opportunity to talk to people in our communities about the journalism we do. 5. Tap into new platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to reach people we may be missing by relying on conventional platforms.

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