Local News Outlets Can Fill the Media Trust Gap – But the Public Needs To Pony Up

A recent Gallup poll found only 13% of Americans trust the media “a great deal,” while 28% indicated that they trust the media “a fair amount.”However, evidence suggests a more favorable situation for local journalism.Poynter’s 2018 Media Trust Survey and a recent Knight Foundation-Gallup study each found that trust in local media is higher than for national media.Only 31% of Americans say they trust reporting from national news outlets “a great deal” or “quite a lot,” while 45% of Americans say the same for reporting from local news organizations.Forty-five percent still isn’t great; clearly, there’s work to be done. These efforts are complicated by the fact that many newsrooms are struggling financially.Despite this backdrop, I’m optimistic. I’ve spent two decades researching and working in local news. I believe local media outlets are in a position to creatively cater to audiences burned out by beltway drama.Here are four ways local newsrooms can forge deeper relationships with the communities they serve