Community Voices

To determine the level of access to news information within the six communities of color within this study, we asked 40 leaders from these neighborhoods to fill out 18-question surveys, which focused on how often the media reached out to their groups about stories and whether they had received coverage of their critical issues.  

Focus group interviews were then held in June 2022. Participants were divided into five tables, with leaders from two to five CBOs represented at each. Participants discussed two primary prompts, including, “What are some of the effective channels or methods that you and your organization have used to tell your community’s story?” and “How would you describe the way in which your organization or your constituents are represented in the media?” Groups developed consensus responses, which were presented to the larger gathering in a town-hall format. Research assistants recorded both the table discussions and the town-hall session, transcripts of which were later printed and analyzed. Results of our focus group interviews are found herein.