Tag: Research

  • Corona Insights | Press Forward Minnesota: State & Local Media Survey

    Corona Insights | Press Forward Minnesota: State & Local Media Survey

    Background

    At Press Forward Minnesota, we know that strong communities need thriving local news and information. A 2022 national study from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism found when communities lose access to local news, voter participation declines and corruption increases all of which contributes to the spread of misinformation, political polarization, and reduced trust in media.​ In order to promote community cohesion and civic participation, Press Forward Minnesota is committed to achieving a thriving, sustainable, and equitable Minnesota local news ecosystem that serves and reflects its diverse communities.

    To best serve our communities, we need to understand their current information needs to help identify interventions and co-create solutions. Press Forward Minnesota partnered with Corona Insights to field a statewide survey to better understand what matters most to residents in state and local news. Collecting over 2,000 responses in early 2025, this study provides quantitative data that captures the current realities of Minnesotans’ relationship with local journalism.

    This statewide survey provides top-level rates of news consumption, mode usage, trust, and other key indicators. Additionally, it creates a benchmark for understanding the current needs of Minnesotans and allows an opportunity to track efforts to increase community access to local news and information. Press Forward Minnesota hopes to conduct a future survey to provide a longitudinal understanding of Minnesotan’s relationship to local news over time.

    Full Report
    Complete Data Tables
    Webinar Recording
    May 28 PPT Presentation

    Key Findings

    1. Most Minnesotans said local news was very important to community well-being. Most residents (62%) said that local news outlets were very or extremely important to the well-being of their local community. A quarter (24%) of Minnesotans said they were extremely important. Only 7% of Minnesotans said local news outlets were not too, or not at all, important. Residents who said local news outlets were very or extremely important to the well-being of their local community were more than twice as likely to financially support state or local news. These residents were also more likely to feel confident taking local civic action.
    2. Residents most often used social media for state and local news. Minnesotans were most likely to say they often got local news and information from social media (43%). Similarly, when asked what sources they use to find out what is happening in their community in an open-ended question, residents most frequently described social media sources. Minnesotans were evenly split between more often consuming legacy media (newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations) and new media (social media, online forums, and other online sources) for state and local news. While one quarter of residents (24%) used an even mix of these sources, 38% more often used legacy media and 38% more often used new media.
    3. However, TV stations were the most preferred way to access state and local news. When asked their preferred ways of accessing state and local news, Minnesotans were most likely to say they preferred to do so via a television station (on TV, online, or an app). In terms of preferences and reported use, Minnesotans were drawn to a wide range of legacy and new media sources for state and local news. Preferred mode of access varied widely by generation. While 50% of Baby Boomers preferred to access local news via TV stations, only 16% of Gen Z residents said the same. Gen Z residents were much more likely to prefer social media platforms (39%) than Baby Boomers (7%).
    4. Fourteen percent of residents financially supported state or local news. A bit more than one out of ten Minnesotans (14%) paid for or financially supported state or local news in the last year. A slightly larger share of residents said they financially supported local news (11%) compared to state news (7%). When asked why they did so in an open-ended question, half (54%) said they financially supported state and local news for access, and two out of five (41%) said they did so to support the cause. Minnesotans who thought state and local media organizations excelled at connecting them to their community and/or gave them local context to national stories were more likely to intend to financially support local media in the next year.
    5. Most residents did not plan on paying for state and local news in the next year. When asked how likely they were to pay for, or give money to, a state or local news source in the next 12 months on a scale of 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely), a bit more than half (55%) of residents gave scores of 0. When non-financial supporters of local news were asked what would make them want to pay for, or give money to, a state or local news source in an open-ended question, the most common responses were knowing the money would go towards something they cared about (14%), offering specific information (11%), or providing better/more honest journalism (11%).
    6. Residents had more trust in local news than national news. Nearly one third (31%) of Minnesotans said they had a lot of trust in local news. This was higher than the rate that said they had a lot of trust in state (17%) or national (10%) news. Most residents (54%) said they had some trust in local news, and few (15%) said they had not much trust or no trust at all. Minnesotans were more likely to trust local news when they saw a journalist/reporter who lives in their area or saw a story presented by a journalist/reporter with a recognizable name in the last year. A bit more than one third of residents (37%) said they saw the former and only one fifth (20%) said they saw the latter in the last 12 months. Increasing the frequency of these occurrences would likely increase trust.
    7. Most said owner influence on reporting was a major problem in news coverage. More than half of residents (56%) said owners of news outlets attempting to influence the way stories are reported was a major problem with state and local news coverage. An additional 30% described this as a minor problem and only 14% said this was not a problem. Mitigating these issues may increase trust and financial support of state and local media. Residents who said each of these issues were major problems in state and local news were less likely to have financially supported Minnesota’s news organizations in the last year.
    8. Many Minnesotans lacked confidence in taking local civic action. Residents were asked about their confidence in knowing information and taking civic action in local politics and government. Less than one quarter (22%) of Minnesotans said they felt very confident in knowing how to vote for candidates that would deliver outcomes that they want. While 45% said they felt somewhat confident, 32% felt not very or not at all confident. Minnesotans who paid for or financially supported state or local news in the last year were much more likely to say they felt very confident in knowing/taking each of these civic actions. For example, 30% of residents who financially supported state or local news in the last year felt very confident knowing where local politicians stand on key issues compared to just 13% of those who did not.
    9. Minnesotans wanted more factual reporting without taking positions. When residents were asked what they wanted to see more of in state and local media, most residents (60%) said reporting of facts without taking positions on issues. This is consistent with the 7th key finding where half of Minnesotans (52%) said state and local sources reporting from a particular point of view was a major problem. Minnesotans wanted fact-based explanations from state and local media where news organizations did not take positions on issues. Residents who used legacy media sources much more often than new media sources were more likely to say they wanted reporting of facts without taking positions (72%) than other residents (58%).
    10. Residents said local media could improve in holding leaders to account. While Minnesotans gave high ratings to state and local media organizations on many attributes, they gave the lowest average ratings for how media holds leaders in politics, business, and other institutions accountable for their actions. A greater share of residents said organizations’ performance was poor (42%) than good (35%) or excellent (11%). Most residents rated state and local news organizations as good or excellent in 12 of 13 areas (holding leaders to account the lone exception). More than three out of four residents said news organizations were good or excellent at providing information about emergencies (81%) and informing them about state and local politics (76%).

    To learn more about the 2025 State & Local Media Survey, you can access the full report and the complete data tables. On May 28, Press Forward Minnesota and Corona Insights Director, Jim Pripusich, held a webinar to present these findings, highlight differences across the state’s demographics, and concluded with a Q&A portion alongside a discussion of recommendations and implications. Here you can access the webinar presentation and recording.

    About Corona Insights

    Corona Insights is a consulting firm that offers market research, evaluation and learning, and strategy and facilitation for mission-driven businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations. If you have additional questions about the survey, methodology, and findings of this report, please contact Jim Pripusich.

    If you have questions about Press Forward Minnesota, connect with us at pressforwardmn@mcf.org.

  • The Pivot Fund | Minnesota Community News Landscape Today

    The Pivot Fund | Minnesota Community News Landscape Today

    A picture of interviewers with microphones.

    Minnesota’s population is growing increasingly diverse, and population growth is driven by Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities. Despite this, there exists a coverage gap by traditional media to serve these communities. In 2024, the Pivot Fund recently conducted a statewide assessment to understand how and where these communities are accessing news and information.

    “The study found that communities have turned to nontraditional media sources, such as social media, digital platforms and media entrepreneurs within their communities, to access reliable news and information when they were not getting what they needed from traditional media sources in Minnesota.“

    –The Pivot Fund, The Pivot Blog, “Report urges funding for Minnesota’s grassroots community news”

    The report shares the following four key findings:

    • Growing need and opportunity for community media to fill in gaps and protect against disinformation.
    • Social media is an important source of news and information for community members of all ages but especially younger people.
    • Need for better training of diverse journalists who come from the communities themselves.
    • Philanthropy needs to fund local community media that already has community trust and can meet demand for culturally competent journalism.

    Additionally, the report provides a call to action: To build a sustainable future for local news, we need local journalism that meets the needs of all communities. This requires:

    • Philanthropic support – multi-year grants, infrasturcture
    • Collaboration – connecting traditional with nontraditional
    • Training programs – create community journalism pathways for youth, immigrants, and underrepresented communities
    • Community hubs – build and expand local spaces (e.g., trade schools, media centers) where community journalism can be produced, shared, and accessed

    Ultimately, it reveals community trailblazers working to provide inclusive coverage for all communities and neighborhoods throughout the state.

    “Journalism, like democracy, is strongest when it comes from the ground up. As Press Forward Minnesota expands our efforts to sustain and enhance Minnesota’s local news ecosystem, the Pivot Fund’s research broadened our view of the outlets making positive change across the state.”

    –Tim Murphy, Program Officer at McKnight Foundation; The Pivot Fund, The Pivot Blog, “Report urges funding for Minnesota’s grassroots community news”

    Press Forward Minnesota, The Pivot Fund, and local news leaders presented these findings at the Minnesota Council on Foundations 2025 Annual Conference. The presentation, for your viewing, can be found below.

    The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing dollars into independent BIPOC-led community news. Their mission is to center and invest in BIPOC-led, community news organizations through funding, capacity building, skills-based trainings, and networking opportunities. By pairing these resources and hands-on consulting and coaching, and facilitating collaboration among diverse community news partners, The Pivot Fund fosters a more connected and culturally competent local media ecosystem.

    Read the report
    View the presentation