The onus is on us, journalists, to find and forge new and authentic ways to engage audiences where they are, whether it is video platforms or offline spaces in community libraries, art venues, and school cafeterias.
A room for humans
Make no mistake; the room is not innocent. People bring their politics, biases, certainties, and defenses with them. But in that room something changes.
There’s a mantra in journalism that says that a great story will always find its audience. As much as we intensely want this to still be true, research shows that people are drifting away not getting closer to news.
The onus is on us, journalists, to find and forge new and authentic ways to engage audiences where they are, whether it is video platforms or offline spaces in community libraries, art venues, and school cafeterias.
In Venezuela, journalists from El Bus TV board city buses and tell their stories to commuters as they travel. At the Pulitzer Center, we deepen engagement with stories through poetry contests and art experiences rooted in journalistic work.
It’s a mindshift from hoping for impact to designing for impact. From waiting for an audience to come to us to knowing our audiences and engaging them in the spaces they already inhabit. It’s an exercise of humility, too. And, maybe, in that reverse journey from volume to value, journalism can write its best chapter yet.
