How one NPR station is trying to win conservative listeners 鈥� by listening
| Harrisburg, Pa.
Scott Blanchard was driving a Prius when he first came to work at a local National Public Radio member station here, and聽joked聽that the hybrid car 鈥� one that some conservatives have derided as a liberal virtue signal 鈥� was a聽requirement.聽
But Mr. Blanchard doesn鈥檛 live among the liberal urban elite. For the past 27 years, he has made his home in a rural Pennsylvania county where two-thirds of voters supported Donald Trump in 2020.聽
Amid a national crisis of trust in journalism, he and his colleagues at WITF have realized that they have聽significant聽work to do in engaging with the largely conservative swath of Pennsylvania where they broadcast.聽That is聽part of a broader effort to make their news coverage聽more trusted and relevant to communities by involving local listeners in helping determine what聽to cover, how to cover it, and whose聽voices to include.聽
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onMany political conservatives increasingly distrust traditional media due to real 鈥� and perceived 鈥� media bias. A growing number of journalists hope to broaden their reach by reexamining how they do their jobs.
鈥淚t used to be that we were on a hill transmitting down reams of information to people,鈥� says Mr. Blanchard, WITF鈥檚 director of journalism. 鈥淏ut I think as an industry we鈥檝e figured out that鈥檚 not really working.鈥�
Simmering distrust has come to a boil in the Trump era,聽prompting critiques from several prominent journalists. Among them was聽veteran NPR editor Uri Berliner,聽who聽sent shock waves through the media industry聽in April with an essay titled 鈥淚鈥檝e Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here鈥檚 How We Lost America鈥檚 Trust.鈥�
The son of a lesbian peace activist, Mr. Berliner argued that NPR 鈥� the home of 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥� 鈥� had, in the name of diversity and inclusion, stopped considering all things.聽It had聽lost its curious, open-minded spirit, and focused on liberal themes. He聽cited data showing that many conservatives 鈥� more than a quarter of NPR鈥檚 audience in 2011 鈥� had stopped listening. Moreover, according to a poll, only 3 in 10 people found NPR 鈥渢rustworthy.鈥澛�
He urged the organization to better serve the American public. But聽NPR鈥檚 leadership Mr. Berliner鈥檚 critique, published by聽 without his employer鈥檚 approval. He soon resigned.聽
WITF, meanwhile, has been taking a more deliberate approach to addressing the trust deficit since the contentious 2020 election. It聽is trying to engage with an ideologically diverse range of listeners through in-person events, on-air conversations, and a weekly newsletter that pulls back the curtain on their work.
鈥淲ITF is leading the way in terms of being thoughtful and transparent about their mission, their ethics, and their practices,鈥� says Joy Mayer, founder of the nonprofit Trusting News, who聽has worked with hundreds of newsrooms, including 海角大神.聽
The station stands out amid a growing movement nationwide, as traditional outlets grapple with both distrust聽and declining resources to produce thoughtful, thorough coverage. Winning back trust in an increasingly polarized nation 鈥� where opposing sides increasingly disagree not only on facts but, more critically, on which institutions have the credibility to confirm facts 鈥撀爄s a huge challenge.
But if successful, the efforts by WITF and other news outlets to rebuild trust聽could help journalism become a greater force for good in local communities 鈥撀燼nd more financially sustainable.聽
Mr. Blanchard is not defending journalism鈥檚 traditional place on the hilltop; he鈥檚 embracing something Ms. Mayer says is essential to rebuilding trust: humility.聽
鈥淚 cannot stress this enough: We are a work in progress,鈥� he says.
In search of conservative listeners 鈥� and voices
As soon as Jonathan Brown walked into a WITF News and Brews event this spring, he realized he was vastly outnumbered.聽
He heard participants praising the Biden administration, criticizing conservatives as being against 鈥渞eproductive rights,鈥� and talking about the need to 鈥渇ight against these extremists鈥� showing up at school board meetings across Pennsylvania.聽
Mr. Brown, a longtime public-radio listener, had been thrilled to hear that WITF had recognized that to prove its trustworthiness to a wider range of listeners, they had to better understand conservatives like him.聽
But now he realized how hard this work was going to be:聽Not very many conservatives were engaging with those efforts.
鈥淚 think a lot of conservatives would have said, 鈥楾his is exactly what I thought. I鈥檓 in a sea of blue, and they鈥檙e just going to attack my views. I鈥檓 all alone.鈥� And they wouldn鈥檛 come back,鈥� says Mr. Brown, adding that he leaned on his faith in that moment. 鈥淚 took a pause and centered myself with the Lord.鈥澛�
He decided to stay 鈥� and came away impressed with the sincerity of WITF staffers, two of whom talked with him one-on-one. He resolved, he says, 鈥渢o be even more engaged in the process and do my best to both provide my point of view and legitimately listen.鈥�
Mr. Brown has since frequently engaged with Mr. Blanchard鈥檚 , designed to聽spark conversations about everything from using anonymous sources to Mr. Berliner鈥檚 criticism. The led to Mr. Blanchard hosting a Zoom call with listeners and NPR public editor Kelly McBride.
The weekly missives have also touched on how WITF reporters are striving to use less polarized language and to include a range of perspectives 鈥� two things Mr. Brown has noticed them doing well. He says that he has increasingly seen WITF鈥檚 reporting become distinct from the station鈥檚 other public radio programming 鈥� particularly on hot-button issues, from banning school library books to transgender girls competing in girls鈥� sports.聽
While the newsletter is WITF鈥檚 main way to聽engage with conservatives, Mr. Brown has encouraged the station鈥檚 leaders to do more to welcome such people at their events.聽
But it鈥檚 been tough going. At another News and Brews event this summer, when Mr. Blanchard asked who in the room was right-leaning politically, the Monitor saw two attendees raise their hands. 鈥淕ood, we鈥檙e glad you鈥檙e here,鈥� he聽said.聽
During a breakout session, one of the attendees said he was there with friends and didn鈥檛 have much to say; the other, Don Portner, had brought a couple of friends after attending a previous event. But he and his wife sat in a corner with them and didn鈥檛 engage with staffers or other participants.聽
鈥淚f they come to me, I might drop a little hint,鈥� Mr. Portner told the Monitor, expressing frustration with how one-sided news coverage has become, with opinion creeping in to how stories are framed and reported.
Recently Mr. Blanchard asked Mr. Brown to help him connect with fellow conservatives; he has found one so far.
Holding GOP officials accountable for 鈥渆lection-fraud lie鈥�
Part of the challenge is Republican frustration with WITF鈥檚 鈥渁ccountability policy.鈥� In the wake of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, WITF聽聽the assault to then-President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥渆lection-fraud lie caus[ing] many of his supporters to believe incorrectly that the election had been stolen.鈥澛�
Therefore, going forward, whenever it quoted or referred to U.S. representatives and state legislators who opposed certifying Pennsylvania鈥檚 Electoral College results when Congress聽met to review the count that day, the station would mention their actions.聽
鈥淲e believe consistently presenting the facts that reveal the lie will play a part in diminishing its power over those who believed and supported it,鈥� WITF explained.聽
That approach, developed in consultation with NPR鈥檚 public editor and Ms. Mayer鈥檚 Trusting News organization, garnered national attention 鈥� including an on CNN. Today it is included in WITF鈥檚 broader election coverage .
WITF鈥檚 reputation for its democracy coverage, including its accountability policy, attracted Jordan Wilkie to a job opening as a democracy reporter earlier this year聽following a project to improve elections coverage in North Carolina. He has faced skepticism from GOP sources due to the policy, but has still been able to land interviews with some lawmakers on WITF鈥檚 accountability list.聽
鈥淪omething to be said for showing that you can shut up鈥�
Mr. Wilkie has also embraced another pillar of the newsroom鈥檚 efforts to rebuild trust: listening sessions.
It鈥檚 a radical, almost counterintuitive idea for a profession that has long seen itself as gatekeepers, not only vetting information but also framing the public conversation by deciding which questions to explore.
鈥淭here鈥檚 really something to be said for showing that you can shut up,鈥� says Mr. Wilkie.
In June, he convened a small group of Pennsylvania poll workers for a recorded discussion. He let them explore the issues most pressing to them 鈥� like how long it would take the constable to arrive if trouble arose, or what to do about a county solicitor reinterpreting a long-standing rule governing who is allowed inside polling stations.聽
No one mentioned the 2020 elections, despite Pennsylvania being ground zero for the debate over whether the results were fair and accurate.聽
The closest they came was when Mr. Wilkie asked: 鈥淗ow do errors happen? How do you fix it?鈥澛�
鈥淭he errors are not in someone鈥檚 vote being cast,鈥� replied Allison Meckley, a judge of elections in York County. 鈥淚t鈥檚 on the clerical end of our side of it, to make sure all the numbers add up so people can feel there鈥檚 integrity in elections.鈥�
Indeed, these poll workers 鈥� like journalists 鈥� are dealing with a crisis of trust in their field. To Mr. Wilkie, the twin crises are linked.聽
鈥淚 have to rely on the institutions to get my facts,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s people trust institutions less, they鈥檙e going to trust news less.鈥�
Suzanne Fry, who has been a judge of elections for 19 years in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, told the Monitor that she participated in the listening session in hopes of informing voters, including about the checks and balances that ensure an accurate count.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of misconceptions about the whole electoral process,鈥� says Ms. Fry, who has increasingly seen voters show up 鈥渉uffy鈥� 鈥� something she attributes to the emotionally charged tone of some media outlets these days.聽
Many mainstream journalists say they wish people would make more informed choices about their news diets. But ultimately, Ms. Mayer says, the responsibility for addressing the trust deficit lies with journalists.
鈥淲e serve the public we have, not the public we wish we had,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur role in democracy will be completely undermined and made irrelevant if we do not figure out how to earn trust.鈥�
