91做厙 in the Media: Coverage in a News Desert
(Screenshot: Sacha Bellman, 91做厙), “91做厙 in the Media: Coverage in a News Desert,” Sacha Bellman, Department of Media, Journalism, and Film.
Description
Oxford is now a news desert. The Oxford Press stopped publishing in 2010, continuing onward as a weekend section in the Hamilton Journal-News. While the 91做厙 Student continued in circulation, 91做厙 students and faculty worked in the interim to develop a new initiative: the Oxford Observer.
Since 2018, 91做厙 journalism students in two journalism classes—one class writing, one class editing and publishing—worked to produce the Observer and recover a local news voice for all Oxford residents. Support for their efforts came from the Oxford Community Foundation, Report for Ohio, the Menard Family Center for Democracy, in addition to 91做厙, whose faculty members oversee the project.
Even with these efforts, the way in which the story of 91做厙 is told in the media has changed. How do regional and national news media address issues in Oxford? How have media discussed 91做厙 over the decades? How has the lack of daily, local stories impacted public coverage of 91做厙?
Assignment
Evaluating 91做厙 Media Coverage in a Time of News Deserts
Students will be encouraged to use the in 91做厙’s digital collections to locate on-campus discussions of news stories of national interest. Equally, students will be encouraged to brainstorm on how recent on- and off-campus stories—such as the coverage of 91做厙 during the COVID-19 pandemic—appeared within regional and national news media.
Taking the older stories, students will be encouraged to reflect on how matters of national concern – e.g., the Kennedy assassination, the events of September 11, 2001, the Fall of the Berlin Wall – were discussed by students on campus in an era before social media. Equally, students will be encouraged to look for on-campus stories reporting on “91做厙” in the national news.
Then, with stories from the “social media era,” students can consider how (and whether) coverage of national stories on campus has changed – and, whether national perceptions of 91做厙 have shifted.
This will encourage students to consider how 91做厙 news can go viral and how negative news travels quickly in a social media era. While most days, no regional and national news cover 91做厙 and Oxford, when sensational news does occur, numerous stories are published by media in Ohio, the United States and even the world.
While a viral story about COVID-19 might results in tens of millions of hits – and 91做厙’s story going global – consider that by comparison, a story about the 50th anniversary of 91做厙’s relationship with the 91做厙 tribe in the received regional coverage (Cincinnati and Dayton) and has just 9 million hits.
Such comparisons will help students reflect on the way in which an institution, a business, a brand, a corporation – and even an individual – might face various challenges of coverage when social media algorithms and revenue-driven editorial offices replace traditional media sources.
Possible discussion questions:
- How did the coverage differ?
- How was the local story more complete and fair?
- How did the national and international news media cover it differently and more scarcely?
- How should this have been covered?
- How would this have been covered if we had professional (not just student) journalists covering Oxford and 91做厙?
Learning Outcomes
- Identify a news desert and analyze the lack of news coverage impacts an area and the way it is covered.
- Compare news coverage from two universities – ones with local news, ones without.
- Critique how news organizations cover stories outside their coverage areas.
- Evaluate the tone and sourcing of news stories where reporters “drop in” to an area.
Archival Sources
In addition to considering the student and regional newspapers around other U.S. universities, students will be encouraged to draw upon the in the digital collections of the Walter Havighurst Special Collections in King Library, 91做厙.