Last week, we gathered for another listening session to hear what’s on people’s minds and what they need from local journalism. People shared concerns about housing, transportation and inclusion, along with an appreciation for the region’s art, trails and community connections. They also wanted more stories about people whose work and experiences too often go unnoticed.
The evening brought me back to March, when Public Source held seven town halls in seven days, and to the conversations that have stayed with us since.
Those town halls were part of an ongoing conversation. Through listening sessions, phone calls, emails, tips, comments and encounters out in the community, you’re helping us understand what matters to you, what you’re dealing with and where our reporting could be more useful.
What you’ve shared has helped us decide what to focus on. As we continue hearing from you, I want to share just a few examples of how your feedback is showing up in our work.
Affordability, and the things people still want to enjoy
The cost of everyday life came up repeatedly in our town halls. We followed up with a callout asking readers where they were feeling the pinch and and included some of their responses in our coverage of an event where people spoke about the challenges of paying for food, electricity and other bills.
Over the summer, we published a photo essay on multigenerational living, showing how families share homes, expenses and caregiving as independent living becomes harder to afford. Living together can help families cover expenses and care for children around work schedules.
And we just launched our $15ish Pittsburgh Meal Map, which brings together several things we heard: People are concerned about affordability, and they also want to spend time with others, engage in their communities, support small businesses and enjoy good food.
We wanted to help make those outings a little more accessible. The map offers places and specific orders to try, and we’ll keep adding to it in the coming months.
Transportation, and everything it connects us to
People told us they want more reliable public transit and roads that safely serve pedestrians and bicyclists.
These concerns affect so much of daily life: where people can work, whether they can get to a grocery store or medical appointment and how connected they feel to their community.
That makes transportation a health and quality-of-life issue as well as a question of routes, schedules and fares.
We’ve continued reporting on Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s plans, and our newsroom recently held a brainstorming session about different ways to cover transportation over the coming year. Your experiences are helping us think about the questions we should ask and the people we should hear from.
If there’s a transportation issue you think deserves more attention, or a question you wish someone would answer, please share it with us.
Stories that leave you encouraged or better equipped
People aren’t asking for fluff. They want stories that could leave them feeling good or give them something useful to act on. They also want more attention to what makes this region a good place to live and to people whose contributions are under the radar.
I keep thinking about our story on the Pittsburgh National League’s NFL-style draft event for students across the region, held before the actual NFL Draft came to town. The looks in those kids’ eyes as they stood on that stage and received that level of attention have stayed with me. There’s value in documenting those moments.
We also reported on Rate Yinz Landlord, a tool created by Pitt students to help renters share information about their landlords. Afterward, someone who attended our Beechview town hall wrote to me:
“This article about the tool to rate your landlord is PRECISELY the type of positive, actionable, local treatment that should continue to be your primary focus.”
The reader said they had forwarded our recent stories to about a dozen people in two weeks.
That means the world to us. It tells us the reporting is useful enough for someone to pass along, and that a person who took the time to talk with us can see their feedback reflected in our work.
We want more of you to see that influence. Being responsive to the people who live here is part of what makes Public Source a community asset.
We’re grateful to the hundreds of people who have taken the time to share their experiences, concerns and ideas. Your voices stay in our minds as we make decisions, ask questions and report. They’re making us better journalists.
Please keep the conversation going. What should we be paying attention to next?
Read more about why we’re doing the journalism we’re doing:
Why we’re making neighborhood zines and what we hope they spark
Halle Stockton is the editor-in-chief at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Reach her at halle@publicsource.org.
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