In 2022, the Pew Research Center did a survey of over 9000 people on public trust in the media and the outcomes were alarming. Only 35% believed journalists report the news accurately and only 24% said it gives voice to the underrepresented. Over the last couple of months, we asked you to take our Bucket List Community News readership survey. Our sample size was vastly smaller but we got some valuable information nonetheless and wanted to share it with you.
One really exciting thing was that 94.7% of you said Bucket List Community News’s news coverage is unique to other comparable outlets. That’s what we want!
When we asked what makes us unique:
John said, “It is community/neighborhood focused but highlights broader coverage. A bit quirky. 😁” (By the way, our audience is split about 50/50 on our quirky name! 🤪)
CJ said, “I appreciate the hyper-local stories that inform about issues and happenings in Denver that I don’t see covered elsewhere, or that are covered in Bucket List with a different twist. I also appreciate the mentoring of interns and elevating of young people in the news profession that Bucket List undertakes.”
Kristin said it, “feels very community-based, multicultural, and shows a side of Denver rarely seen or covered.”
Another thing you told us is that being hyperlocal and neighborly really resonates with almost 80% of you. Being community-inspired and supported hits home with half of you. You also liked that we’re free and that we build community by sharing our stories. When we asked how we can improve, about 57% of you said to keep doing what we’re doing!
Of course, there is room for improvement. You asked for more breaking news and political coverage as well as more guest writers and social media. You also told us you want to see us put our resources into expanded daily reporting, investigations and specialized reporting, and partnerships with community organizations.
Many of you believe Bucket List is doing a good job keeping you informed but you asked for more on politics and elections (you can take our Voter Voices survey in English or Spanish to help inform our 2024 election coverage.) You also asked for more about housing and gentrification, housing and homelessness, race and social justice, and especially dining and food, events, culture, arts and local businesses.
When we asked what you like most about our coverage:
Spaghettios said, “That it directly impacts my neighborhood.”
Bentastic replied, “The tone and voice. It’s easy to pick up, and feels honest and real. It doesn’t feel ‘holier than thou.’”
Office responded, “Local coverage of people/groups/businesses that don’t get reported on elsewhere.”
What really excites us is that almost 95% of you said Bucket List helps you learn about your community and 87% of you said our team cares about people like you. We love to hear this! As online community journalism, it’s our goal to keep you informed on what happens in Denver and surrounding areas and make sure all voices are heard.
89% said you’d recommend Bucket List to a friend or colleague. That’s great! Here’s a link to our weekly newsletter. Send it to all of your friends and neighbors and ask them to subscribe. ! And 78% said you’d like to see us at your block party or neighborhood festival. If you’re looking to catch us in the wild, visit our events calendar to see all of our upcoming community appearances. Invite us to your block parties too and we’ll bring the refrigerator magnets and stickers!
Now here’s something encouraging: When we add up the responses, a total of 74% told us those who can, should contribute to community journalism, those who read should contribute, or everyone should contribute. If you believe this too, click the button below to share your support and partner with us to innovate community journalism.
53% said if we just ask, you’ll support us, and if we publish unique content you can’t get elsewhere you will contribute. 53% also said they prefer to contribute at set times every year and 61% said they contribute in response to a specific need. We do two fundraising campaigns a year—one in July and another in December. But you can contribute all year long by going to our website or clicking the contribute button at the end of our stories.
So here we go Bucket Listers! If you read a story on our website and you think we did a good job, contribute. Adam did that the other day and contributed $100. That’s how this is supposed to work. We are community-inspired and supported and are innovating community news together. We won’t hustle you for subscriptions or memberships or clutter your experience with ads and paywalls, but if you appreciate what we are doing make a small gift. Help out a neighbor!
For those who prefer to contribute during a set time of year or around a specific need, our Christmas in July fundraising campaign starts on July 1. That’s a great way for you to let us know you appreciate the work we’re doing. Make a one-time-only contribution, or better yet a recurring monthly contribution to go towards our sustainability. We already have friends on board who will match your contribution.
Thanks again to all of you who helped us with our survey. Thanks to all of you who appreciate the work our team is doing. Thanks to all of you who are partnering with us to innovate community journalism and mentor the next generation of journalists. And thanks especially to all of you who are contributing to help us be sustainable. We are doing this together and we can’t do it without you!
