New News-Press Update: Publisher Releases Research on What SB County Locals Say They Want in Their News
The report, based on a community survey and a series of focus groups, includes praise for some current local news outfits, but says readers wish for more connect-the-dots and enterprise journalism.
(Editor’s note: It’s been nearly nine months since business consultant Ben Romo disclosed in this space that he and several clients had acquired certain assets of the defunct historic newspaper in bankruptcy court, including its domain name and online archive, and donated them to a non-profit affiliated with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Since then, those of us who mainline local news, can never have enough, and therefore are rooting for the project, have waited with ever-growing impatience to see how Newswell, the non-profit recipient of the Romo group’s donation, would carry out its promise to “reimagine” the News-Press. We’ve finally started getting some answers, first with the group’s appointment of a general manager last Friday, and now, with the release of a report summarizing survey and focus group research they conducted in Santa Barbara, intended to serve as a blueprint for the enterprise. Today’s we’re publishing the article about the study that the News-Press has posted on its site. Stay tuned/ jr).
By Chris Woodyard /Santa Barbara News-Press
Santa Barbara County residents are hungry for more local news, but coverage should delve deeper and cover a wider swath of the region, a new study commissioned by *Newswell for the Santa Barbara News-Press reveals.
News consumers also want to hear a wider range of views and perspectives and feel a deeper connection to the community as a whole, according to a media landscape study of the county by News Revenue Hub, a nonprofit that examines news needs in communities and helps news organizations work toward financial stability.
The complete study can be found in both English and Spanish.
The results are compiled from surveys and listening sessions conducted across Santa Barbara County as part of the reimaging of the News-Press, the news organization that served as a collective voice for the Central Coast for more than 150 years before it ceased publication in 2023.
The digital assets of the News-Press were donated to Newswell, a nonprofit run by Arizona State University dedicated to transforming local news. In addition to Santa Barbara, Newswell also shepherds nine other news sites in California: Stocktonia in Stockton and eight San Diego sites anchored by the Times of San Diego.
Newswell is using research from the new study as a framework to reimagine the News-Press in order to add to Santa Barbara’s overall news landscape, including offering its journalism for free to other media outlets.
SB: not a news desert. Unlike some other cities, greater Santa Barbara is not considered a “news desert.” Yet the existing news ecosystem has significant room to grow and improve, the research shows.
Many survey respondents pointed out frustrations with superficial news reports and the prevalence of published press releases without further explanation, analysis or follow-up. There also were complaints about North County communities being shortchanged in coverage.
The key findings in the study were divided into four categories:
A strong desire for more independent, in-depth journalism
People wanting to feel more represented and connected
A mismatch between news supply and community demand
A lack of news that meets core audience needs
“Survey and listening session participants consistently called for unbiased, fact-based, investigative and solutions-oriented reporting,” the report states. “Residents also expressed a desire for more original reporting and follow-through.”
The calls for more in-depth coverage also came from listening session participants across the county. One unnamed respondent in the study is quoted as saying: “Sometimes they cover a contentious meeting, but where’s the context and analysis?” That attendee and others complained about the prevalence of press releases used by local media. Another person said, “There’s a lot of copy-and-paste,” later adding, “It’s not real news.”
A word on methodology. To develop the findings for the study on Santa Barbara County’s news needs, News Revenue Hub received 712 responses to a community survey distributed through 280 civic organizations. Nine listening sessions cohosted by the Hub and Newswell in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Barbara further drew out the views of 125 residents about local news. Five sessions were conducted in Spanish thanks to a grant from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Google News Initiative.
Included in the survey was an analysis of content from five of the county’s major news sites — the Santa Barbara Independent, Noozhawk, KEYT-TV, Edhat and the Santa Maria Times. Collectively, the study looked at more than 955 stories published over a two-week period. All had news stories that were overwhelmingly local.
The bulk of the content published during the analysis period fell into four categories: arts, culture, entertainment, and events; sports; politics and government; and crime and public safety. Yet a large percentage of survey respondents said they were interested in other topics, including housing and development; economic and business coverage; and immigration issues. As such, the study emphasizes there are opportunities to increase stories around those areas of coverage.
Nearly half of the survey respondents also felt that local news coverage is more focused on problems than solutions.
Who’s doing good work. The report credits the Independent and Noozhawk as doing the most independent reporting. The analysis found that about half of their stories included interviews that went beyond press releases.
One reassuring finding in the study is that the existing news sources in Santa Barbara County rank high in credibility. Two-thirds of those responding said they either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that local news coverage is trustworthy. Only 5% said they did not trust local news.
Another area in which the media landscape study showed there was room for improvement is news coverage in North County communities. While Santa Maria has 25% of the county’s population, it accounted for only 8% of news coverage. Lompoc, Orcutt, Goleta and other towns didn’t fare well either.
The problem is especially apparent when it comes to Spanish-speaking residents.
The study notes that Latinos are underrepresented in the news despite making up about half of Santa Barbara County’s population. Many depend on word-of-mouth or social media sites, such as Santa Maria’s CHISME or La Raza on Facebook.
Spanish-language listening session attendees indicated they would like more sources of local news and breaking news alerts. Video formats, rather than traditional written-word news stories, also hold stronger appeal. “Our community is visual,” said one participant, noting that it’s easier for many to understand when English-language skills are still developing.
The report is intended to act as a resource for all news outlets in Santa Barbara County. Armed with this information and helmed by new General Manager William Belfiore and a soon-to-be-named editor, the News-Press will work toward delivering on this outline and to continue to amplify the voices of those who live and work here.
* For reasons that remain unclear to us, the folks at Newswell insist on spelling the name of their outfit with all caps - NEWSWELL. Which would fine if it was an actual acronym, which it is not. Frankly, we get enough random capitalization from Trump’s screeds so we spelled it throughout according to normal rules of grammar.
Chris Woodyard is an award-winning veteran journalist and blogger who now writes for Newswell. He was the Los Angeles bureau chief for USA Today and has worked as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Sun and other major news outlets.
Image: Pacific Media Workers Guild.