Views and to-dos from your Pittsburgh neighbors.

Pittsburgh has a great opportunity to transform its news coverage. It will become a missed opportunity if it does not center community voices as it develops new solutions. 

The loss of the Post-Gazette will certainly leave a hole within the Steel City’s media ecosystem.  Since the announcement of its closure, there have been several discussions on how best to fill the impending news void. Some want to keep the P-G open. Others have suggested a new newsroom should emerge, or that investments should focus on the many other existing newsrooms in Pittsburgh.  

Each of these ideas has merit. I agree we should find ways to retain journalists in the city. And the news void certainly needs to be filled.

But from my perspective, centering the newsrooms, or even on the needs of journalists, is the wrong approach. Where the news comes from won’t matter if the product doesn’t meet local residents’ information needs. 

During my years of research in Pittsburgh, I’ve spoken with residents from across the city, as well as with journalists, about news media in Pittsburgh. Almost universally, they felt that there has been too much emphasis on crime, and too little effort to cover everyday stories within the city’s neighborhoods. They want more meaningful interactions with journalists on a regular basis. They want to understand how journalists choose which stories to run. They want more stories of joy. And they wanted less news that punches down on communities, without providing context or solutions to issues. 

All of this requires more community engagement. 

The problem is, most Pittsburgh media continue to ignore the concerns of communities, particularly those that have been historically underserved. Stereotyping of African Americans is still rampant. Virtually no news is offered in a language other than English. Despite efforts from places like the American Press Institute, deep community engagement isn’t on the agenda in most Pittsburgh newsrooms. Too many reporters go into communities for soundbites, but do little real listening.

Simply put, you cannot say you are invested in serving communities if you don’t actively engage communities. And that is a serious problem in Pittsburgh that can’t be solved merely by saving a newsroom with a problematic history or by adding more journalists to outlets that, by and large, avoid meaningful conversations with community members. 

So what can be done? First, any attempt to create a new newsroom or redistribute journalists within existing newsrooms should begin with an extensive ecosystem analysis, largely based on conversations with community members. A look at census data, combined with a few conversations with journalists, so-called news leaders, and funders is woefully insufficient. Take the time to get into the neighborhoods and let them tell you what news they would like and which news sources they trust. Let your community guide your decisions on community journalism. 

Second, any funding to a new newsroom or existing newsroom should be tied to specific requirements focused on community engagement and self-assessment. Each newsroom should have a specific plan for how it will stay connected with the communities it serves, and be willing to assess its content. And frankly, these efforts should be made public to enhance their accountability to community members.  

Detractors will point to financial or time concerns. They are real. But engagement is a tool for gaining new consumers. And frankly, serving the community’s needs is the entire point of community news. The failure to recognize this fact is why so many community members are turning to community creators for information. 

There is a better way forward for the Pittsburgh news ecosystem. Engagement and accountability are that pathway. Reproducing a nostalgic status quo is not. 

Letrell Crittenden is Director of the Center For Community-Engaged Media at Temple University and a former Pittsburgh Black Media Federation board member. He can be reached at letrell.crittenden@temple.edu.

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