Sessions in Casper show it's hard to change minds about news bias, but local editor says 'conversations help'

The findings from a six-month project on trust in the media in Casper, Wyoming, indicate that, while it's very difficult to change people's onions about news, it helps to explain the process of news gathering and decision making, Rod Hicks and Zoë Berg report for the Society of Professional Journalists. Hicks, SPJ's "journalist on call," led the project, and was aided by Rebecca Travers.

SPJ and its foundation conducted Media Trust & Democracy: The Casper Project to get a deeper understanding of why many people distrust the news media. From February to July of 2019, Hicks and Travers asked 36 people from all walks of life to explain why they were skeptical about news stories. All participants were also asked to attend five discussions and presentations that showed them the process through which journalists research, write, edit and publish news stories.

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SPJ said it picked Wyoming, one of the most rural states, because it has a slightly higher share of residents who say they distrust the news media. Casper is home to the only seven-day-a-week newspaper in Wyoming, the Casper Star Tribune. "Conservative Wyoming residents who participated said the press is biased against conservative values, intent on smearing President Donald Trump and uninterested in changing its ways," Hicks and Berg report. "They, like moderates and liberals in the project, made no significant changes in their news consumption habits or level of trust in the news media after going through the sessions."

Star Tribune Editor Josh Wolfson said in a panel discussion at the SPJ convention in San Antonio Sept. 7 that he was struck by focus on national coverage and Trump, "a small component for our newsroom." But Hicks noted on the panel that the choices, play and headline of wire stories are important to readers: "They wonder where the judgments come to make those decisions."

Hicks wrote in his report that "One of the big takeaways is that conservatives do not see themselves reflected in mainstream news coverage." On the panel, he said journalists "are too quick to dismiss this accusation about liberal bias." He also said the sessions showed "some misunderstanding" among readers of the difference in news and opinion, which he said is exacerbated by cable news. "That is an area that we really need to focus on so people understand that," he said.

"Conversations help," Wolfson said on the panel. "Just having people engage with us has been a really useful part of the process." Casper real-estate broker Chuck Hawley, the critic on the panel, said journalists should hold each other accountable for their shortcomings.

While none of the participants changed their views, the project showed the issues many people have with the news media, and most participants said they thought the project was worthwhile and that they learned a lot. SPJ makes five recommendations for news organizations:

• Enage with readers, listeners or viewers regularly to see what stories they're interested in and seek feedback.
• Explain how your news organization works and how journalists do their jobs (including how they ensure accurate reporting).
• Seek out bias; consider ways to make opinion pieces more distinct from hard news, especially in television news.
• Be transparent, and tell your audience the motivation behind your controversial decisions.
• Create your own version of the Casper Project, tailored to a local audience.