Big news outlets were largely blindsided by the 2016 presidential election, partly because their mostly urban journalists sought commentary from the same pundits we've all heard from for years and didn't spend enough time in rural America. They missed the rising disenchantment of small-town and rural voters that helped propel Donald Trump into the Oval Office. That's why Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. is launching a three-year project called "The Pulse of the Voters." Most CNHI papers are in smaller cities, many outside metropolitan areas, which puts them in a good posture to find out what non-metro voters think about the issues.
Starting in March, about 100 participating papers will sit down with voters every few months and find out what they think "to a level that can't be covered in a poll or survey," reports CHNI's Herald-Banner, a daily newspaper in Greenville, Texas.
Some questions they'll ask include: "What
are the issues that concern you the most? Jobs . . . education . . . health
care . . . affordable housing . . . national security . . . immigration . . . race
relations. How has life changed for you – or not – since President Trump entered the White House? We
want to listen to your voice on whether you approve or disprove of
Trump’s job performance, of Congress and the national political divide
between Republicans and Democrats. Why do you feel this way?" reports The Morehead News, a CNHI thrice-weekly in Kentucky.
"No matter your political ideology, gender, race, religion or economic
status, no matter whether you live in the city or in the country, we
would like to listen to your concerns and help amplify your voice as
candidates ask for your trust to shape policies locally," Dave Bohrer writes for The Meridian Star, a CNHI daily in Mississippi.
CNHI papers will share notes with each other and produce regional and national stories. The project is scheduled to run through 2020. CHNI was recently acquired by Raycom Media, a broadcaster.
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