Assessing Civic Journalism Training: A Mixed-Method Applied Research Study

This mixed‑method applied research study examines how audiences are responding to news stories that are shaped by retraining efforts to help American journalists rebuild audiences. We wanted to know: were these trainings working? Do audiences choose stories that were influenced by these trainings over more traditional elite-focused, problem-oriented, conflict-driven stories? Working with three newsroom-training organizations, we report the results of a series of conjoint experiments that test how well stories abiding by new journalistic techniques of engagement, solutions and “good-conflict” framing play with audiences. We then use the findings from seven focus groups (n = 49) with surveys to explain why people may have responded the way they did in the tests. We found that audiences overwhelmingly selected and appreciated the re-framed content and reported that it makes them trust the news brands more. The focus group participants claimed such content would entice them to become members, subscribe, or even donate to the mainstream brand – if they came across it. However, only a few of the participants said they had heard about the news outlet. Though the principles behind these trainings may seem counterintuitive to some journalists, they offer a potential path forward in uncertain times for local news.