While local news remains an important and trusted source of information for residents across Northeast Wisconsin, findings from a new regional study indicate that changes in access, coverage and relevance influence the ways people stay informed in their communities.
Commissioned by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation through the Press Forward Northeast Wisconsin chapter, the “Local News Landscape Study, Northeast Wisconsin” was conducted by UW-Green Bay’s Center for Civic Engagement and provides a snapshot of how residents across Northeast Wisconsin access and value local news.
The study offered the first comprehensive look at how residents in Brown, Kewaunee, Oconto and Outagamie counties access local news, what information they value, and how they perceive the regional news ecosystem as meeting, or not fully meeting, those needs.
Drawing on a community survey of 251 residents conducted through a regional research panel, two focus groups — one with rural residents and one with young adults — and an inventory of local news outlets, the study describes how information is delivered, consumed, and trusted across the four-county region.
A story about the study appeared in the Press-Times of Green Bay. According to the piece:
“At community foundations, we see first-hand how strong communities and strong local news go hand in hand,” said Dennis Buehler, President and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. “Local news helps people understand the issues that shape their daily lives and stay connected to what matters to them. As the media landscape continues to evolve, this study gives us important insight into how we can work together to sustain and strengthen this essential resource for the public good.”
The Local News Landscape Study revealed that residents don’t always feel adequately informed about the issues that matter most to them.
While 48% of respondents to the survey indicated that they feel well-informed about sports, only 25% listed it as a “very important” local news topic.
Meanwhile, more than 75% of respondents considered health care to be a “very important” local news topic despite just over 20% indicating they feel well-informed on health care and 70% considered public safety to be “very important” while only 34% felt well-informed about public safety.
“These differences do not tell us how much reporting exists in each area or assess its quality,” said Ashley Heath, program manager for the Center for Civic Engagement. “Instead, they show a gap between the importance residents place on certain issues and how well-informed they feel about them. That’s an important distinction. Residents can value local news, regularly consume it, and still want more information or different kinds of information about the issues affecting their life.”
Trust vs. use
The Local News Landscape Study revealed that residents of Northeast Wisconsin rely on a mix of sources to stay informed, although the sources they trust and the sources they use most often do not always align. While print newspaper was rated highest in terms of trustworthiness, it also ranked last in the percentage of respondents using it as a daily news source. Conversely, 42% of respondents indicated using Facebook daily and 41% said they use websites daily despite Facebook and other social media platforms ranking poorly in terms of trustworthiness and online sources ranking near the middle of the pack.
Additionally, 85% of respondents indicated that they do not pay for a local news service, such as a newspaper subscription, and 25% listed paywalls and subscription costs as a barrier to accessing local news, leading many to rely on free online or social media sources they place lower trust in.
Civic impact
Respondents in the Local News Landscape Study indicated that local journalism continues to influence civic life with 47% of survey respondents reporting taking some form of civic or community action such as voting, discussing local issues with family and friends and attending community events, because of local news.
“This points to the role local news can play in connecting residents with civic and community life…” Heath said. “Local news does more than tell people what’s happening. It can help people understand their community, discuss their concerns and decide how they’d like to participate.”
A call to action
“This study confirms what so many of us have believed for years — that people in this community want reliable local information,” said Michael Vinson, a member of the board of directors for the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. “They want to be informed. The question isn’t whether local news matters. It’s whether we’re doing enough to sustain it. Local news is a community infrastructure. Just like a road or a library or a public health clinic, it only works when we invest in it, maintain it and treat it as essential to have a thriving community.”
“This study confirms that people value local newsrooms and want to be informed about what’s happening in their communities,” said Hugh Dellios, Director of the Journalism Program at the Joyce Foundation, a supporter of Press Forward Northeast Wisconsin. “Through philanthropic investments and the broader work of Press Forward, there are meaningful opportunities for communities, funders and news organizations to collaborate in strengthening access to the information people need to fully participate in their communities.”
Northeast Wisconsin has already seen the impact of collaboration through efforts such as the NEW News Lab, which since 2019 has brought local news organizations together to produce in-depth reporting on critical issues including housing, childcare and education.
The full “Local News Landscape Study, Northeast Wisconsin” is available at ggbcf.org/community-initiatives/press-forward-ne-wisconsin
