On Wednesday, Nov. 2, eight media organizations from across the Roaring Fork Valley presented findings from a recent valley-wide survey that aimed to gain insight on the Latino community’s perception of local news coverage. Members of the public were invited to attend the event at TACAW to network, ask questions, and provide feedback. The free event was catered by Latino-owned business, CC Café, located in Basalt.
The media cohort included Aspen Public Radio, the Aspen Daily News, Aspen Journalism, The Aspen Times, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, KDNK Community Radio, Radio LaTricolor 107.1, and The Sopris Sun, with support from the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) and Colorado Media Project.
The goal of the survey, which was conducted in August 2022, was to engage community members and Latino-serving organizations to get feedback about local news needs, gaps and adequate collaborative solutions, and to develop a model for collaboration in the Roaring Fork Valley region between nonprofit and for-profit media outlets of various formats that can yield learnings applicable to other similar markets and communities.
Megan Tackett, editor of the Aspen Daily News, Raleigh Burleigh, editor of The Sopris Sun, and Samuel Bernal, VP for integrated marketing solutions at Entravision/Radio LaTricolor 107.1, presented the survey data to those gathered, collected from more than 150 respondents.
Key Findings include:
- Most Spanish speakers want to receive their local news content in a mix of Spanish and English.
- Most residents were satisfied with their ability to get news about Colorado and their community, and most Spanish speakers said they could access this news in Spanish.
- Residents were highly familiar with most local media outlets.
- Most residents said they relied on at least two local news sources for information.
- While residents relied on a wide range of sources for state and local news content, they were most likely to access these via their phone.
- Residents said the most important purpose of state and local media was to hold the powerful accountable, provide information about emergencies, and connect them to their community.
- Residents wanted to see state and local media provide explanations of complicated state/local issues and report facts without taking positions on issues.
- In terms of desired content from local media, RFV residents were most interested in seeing information about services in their community.
You can review the full survey results here.
Tackett, Burleigh, and Bernal also shared the cohort’s draft proposal to continue to strengthen reporting for the valley’s Latino community in 2023. Suggestions included:
- Invest resources to translate local reporting for publication and broadcast in Spanish.
- Build a shared database of local voices interested in speaking with local media (in English or Spanish) on a variety of issues.
- Create a shared space to aggregate local media content in Spanish on a single platform.
- Establish a managing editor position to assist local media with collaboration, translation, and support the creation of more news and information in Spanish.
- Create a community advisory council to meet with local media monthly, share story ideas, provide feedback, and help grow awareness.
- Explore what is needed to establish a 501(c)(3) Spanish news and information service in the valley, with a Board of Directors, staff, and operating budget.
“We’re so honored to be a part of this important effort to expand access to local news and information for Spanish-speaking residents and visitors, along with the opportunity our collaboration will provide for better delivery of potentially life-saving emergency news updates, given the real environmental threats we have living in the rural West,” says Aspen Public Radio executive director Breeze Richardson. “Participating in this cohort has truly strengthened Aspen Public Radio’s understanding of the current landscape, and reinforced that we need to continue doing what we are today… and then do more,” says Richardson.
The Aspen Public Radio news team currently produces a weekly 60-second newscast for Radio LaTricolor 107.1 in Spanish, voiced by station reporter Caroline Llanes, a native Spanish-speaker. The station also publishes a story a week in Spanish, which are now regularly published in the weekly Spanish-language newspaper, Sol del Valle, as well.
“Our valley is growing, and I’m glad we’re having conversations like this with local stakeholders, municipalities, and others to recognize that communication gaps exist,” says Richardson. “When we thoughtfully report for all of our neighbors, everyone in our community benefits. Our work is truly vital journalism, and we’re proud to be helping envision how it can collaboratively serve more of our community and ultimately make a bigger impact.”