How people connect with local news can influence how they understand and respond to issues affecting their communities. New findings from local newsrooms across Michigan, Mississippi and the Gulf South offer practical insights into what can shape those connections.
The Local NExT Lab paired researchers with four W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) grantee news organizations — Mississippi Today, Gulf States Newsroom, Deep South Today and Issue Media Group — serving communities across Michigan, Mississippi and the Gulf South. Together, they tested questions from the newsrooms’ own work about how to better reach, engage and serve their audiences.
Those questions included: Does surrounding investigative journalism with community reporting change how audiences receive it? Does connection to place affect how people respond to solutions-oriented journalism? When does a reporter’s identity matter more than a newsroom’s brand? Can changing the format of a story make an issue feel more relevant?
