Engaged Journalism: Listening to Salem's Hispanic Community
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Date
2024
Authors
Duong-Tran, Joshua
DeVigal, Andrew
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Working with the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) and the City of Salem, this class sought to understand how information flows through the Hispanic community in Salem. This Engaged Journalism course conducted a survey, facilitated a conversation with 80 students, and visited Salem to better understand community information needs. Recommendations support greater information access for these communities via collaborations with local entities.
Divided into age groups ranging from under 18 to over 65, with the largest demographic being the under 18 category, 36% of residents indicated that sharing information among coworkers and classmates constituted the primary channel for learning about events that held significance for them or their community. Participants generally gravitated to personal networks and social media when locating community information. The survey revealed that when an event occurred within their community, most residents turned to their personal networks, such as Facebook groups, and social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok for further insights. Half of the participants mentioned K-12 education as the prime issue of importance.
Based on these findings, the Engaged Journalism class compiled the following categories of recommendations to better meet the information needs of Salem’s Hispanic community: media literacy enhancement via local news collaboration; short-form content distribution through Instagram and TikTok; and bilingual resource guides distributed in popular third spaces (community centers, schools, etc.); centralized radio collaborations exploring pivotal topics distributed on bilingual platforms; and local civic information community gatherings hosted in popular third-party spaces.
Description
36 pages
Keywords
Sustainable City Year Program, Sustainable Cities Initiative, Engaged Journalism