Unravel recently invited a group of young professionals and students into our offices with the promise of free food and a conversation about how millennials and Gen-Xers interact with local news and their community.
We posed a couple of simple questions: Do you care about local news and how do you consume it?
- The questions sparked a lot of interesting conversation, but two things were clear:
- Millennials do care about local news and their community
- They rely on their social network far more than any media outlet
DO YOU CARE ABOUT LOCAL NEWS?
We had some great answers, and a little more honest than I thought we would get. Here’s a sampling:
“I read because I have to (for my job).”
“I’ll read when something is brought to my attention.”
On Unravel’s parent company, Herald-Tribune, “It’s for veterans and old news.”
“I like reading, I like knowing what’s going on.”
“Seems like all news is becoming Twitter. Please don’t do that.”
NEWS CONSUMPTION . . . IT’S ALL ABOUT SOCIAL
When it comes to finding and reading news, social networks reign supreme. And make sure it’s short.
“I check Google News. Then niche sites. I read local only when something is brought to my attention.”
“If I have time I will read an article. I read things that are short, sweet and simple. Write things that people want to share.”
“I keep hopping from article to article.”
“Uber passed. That’s all I need to know.”
“I find stories in my news feed.”
“How does it affect me?”
THE TAKEAWAY
First and foremost, you want real news. There’s already Buzzfeed, you don’t want a local one.
You want your news short and to the point. Everyone is busy.
You want to know how news affects you.
You want to know about interesting people in the community.
You want the news delivered to your inbox (we’re working on that one).
OUR NEXT STEPS
Since we asked what you wanted, we would be remiss if we didn’t deliver on it. We have already started summarizing news stories at the top to break down the gist of the post.
We’re thinking shorter when it comes to posts (after this one of course).
We are looking for better ways to get the posts in all your social feeds.
You asked for more events coverage – especially beforehand – and on the cheap. We make journalism money here, we will be on the look out for cheap events and pass them along to you, with plenty of time to plan for them.
Most importantly, we want your help. If you, or someone you know, has an interesting story to share, pass it on. Our goal is to unravel our community and foster community engagement for young professionals.
