Showing up: advocating visibility of local journalists

This thesis argued that visibility is crucial to local journalists’ coverage of events within the communities they serve. A local journalist’s ability to engage connects further to news consumers' attitudes as stakeholders within a community. Whether audiences may feel positively or negatively about the stories they create and disseminate, the movements of local journalists are about them “showing up.” This analysis investigated two questions: 1) Does consistent coverage by local journalists instill confidence from news consumers in their reporting, and 2) does their “showing up” influence attitudes about local news outlets’ visibility in their covering communities. The research contributed to literature about localized coverage and discourse on what consumers may expect from local journalists. The implication became that local journalists who maintain this presence care about their communities' well-being. This thesis took a qualitative approach to journalists’ visibility, and it was found that this movement can solidify engagement in the first place. Civic leaders were interviewed about their views of one local news outlet’s trustworthiness and commitment to covering the area it serves, especially in terms of the visibility of its journalists. An analysis examined relationships between local journalists and sources and how local news outlets can build trust with news consumers. A series of semi-structured interviews gathered observations from local leaders about the Banner Graphic newspaper in Putnam County, Indiana. Finally, a discussion considered the analysis’ implications of local news outlets investing in their journalists’ visibility in communities, as well as noted limitations of the analysis’ scope which can be broadened with future research.