The Media Deserts Project:

Identifying Community News and Information Needs and Expanding the Role of Foundations

Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Principal Investigator, The Media Deserts Project, Ohio UniversityPeggy Holman, Executive Director, Journalism That Matters

Workshop Facilitators

Dr. Michelle Ferrier

Associate Dean for Innovation | Associate

Professor , Scripps College of Communication,

Ohio University Vice President, Journalism

That MattersFounder, Create or Die Startup

Gatherings

Peggy Holman

Executive Director, Journalism That Matters

Author, Engaging Emergence

Author/Editor, The Change Handbook

Peggy Holman has

helped explore a

nascent field of

social technologies

that engage “whole

systems” of people

from organizations

and communities in

creating their own

future.

Michelle Ferrier.

Ph.D. is a scholar,

digital content

architect and

communications

consultant around

community-based

participatory

research and media

entrepreneurship.

Workshop Agenda

• Overview of The Media Deserts Project and media ecosystem

• Case studies of communication audits and strategies

• Small Group Conversation: Communication strategies

• Synthesis of ideas from participants

• Next steps: From here to where?

Our goal is to bring awareness to the changing local media environment and to help community foundations discover ways to support robust, community news and information.

Takeaways from Today

• Understanding of changing media ecosystem.

• Ideas for doing your own communication differently.

• Help assess and fund projects that help fill the gaps in community news and information needs.

Newspaper Layoffs and

BuyoutsYear

2007

2008

2009

2010

Layoffs and Buyouts

2,256+ (partial data)

15,992+

14,783+

2,828+ 120+

newspapers

More than 120 newspapers have ceased operation in the United States

since 2008.

The Media Deserts Project

• Using GIS tools, we map “media deserts” -- places where fresh news and information is lacking.

• Modeled after the USDA Food Access Locator Map

The Media Deserts Project

After users see the pinpoint data, they can click on a state and see the circulation change rendered by zip code. Users can also compare the circulation on demographic factors.

The Media Deserts Project

The Media Deserts Project

Awareness

• Audit of Community Information

Sources

• Visualization of Current

Information Sources

• Content Analysis of Existing

Sources

• Assessing Community

Characteristics for Sustainable

Media Enterprises

Action

• Community Engagement

through Focused Gatherings

• Engaging Key Stakeholders in

Developing Sustainable

Media Enterprises

• Developing Face-to-Face and

Virtual Public Spaces for

Engagement/Community

Conversations

“Create or Die” Startup Events• Developed JTM “Create or Die” series

of media startup weekends in Detroit

and Greenboro,NC.

• Provided seed funding and mentors to

teams that successfully pitched their

project.

• Partnered with NC entrepreneurship

centers to provide support for

projects.

“Create or Die” Startup Events

NC: Piedmont TogetherRFP?

The Engagement Hub

The Engagement Hub is an interactive

platform to support peer-to-peer

learning among people in news

organizations who want to more

authentically connect with their

communities.

We believe that when the public and

journalists engage, journalists start

drawing from a more diverse mix of

sources, they ask questions that

uncover strengths and possible

solutions, and they tell stories that

inspire the public to get involved.

What Does Community

Engagement Look Like?

About Community Engagement

Small Group Discussions

What did you hear that struck you?

What implications do you see for your organization?

Text Your Closing Thoughts

What’s your take away from

this session?

For more information on

The Media Deserts Project:

Contact:

Dr. Michelle Ferrier

Associate Dean for Innovation, Research/Creative Activity

and Graduate Studies

Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University

ferrierm@ohio.edu

@mediaghosts