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Your opinion counts: win a unique ballpoint pen!
Find out more about the reader survey on local journalism in Amberg, carried out by OTH students in collaboration with OberpfalzECHO.
Your opinion counts: win a unique ballpoint pen!
In an exciting survey on reader interaction in digital local journalism, OberpfalzECHO invites its readers to actively participate and reveal their views. This survey is conducted by a student at OTH Amberg-Weiden and aims to deepen the understanding of the customer journey in local journalism. This covers central topics such as reading behavior, preferred information channels and the most important topics for readers. OberpfalzECHO reports on an anonymous online survey that gives participants the opportunity to express their experiences and wishes. As a small thank you, a hand-made ballpoint pen with Upper Palatinate engraving will be raffled off, valued at 74 euros and coming from Franz Zetzl's local factory. Interestingly, the participants' email address is only used to notify the winners and is then deleted. If you are not interested in the raffle, you can still take part in the survey.
But what’s going on in local journalism? According to a study by IPPEN.MEDIA, which surveyed 1,184 respondents from several federal states, it shows that local information, especially on traffic and mobility, is very important. People over 45 also have a strong interest in local politics, while reporting on sports and events is becoming less important. Surprisingly, many readers, especially younger ones, are increasingly getting their information through social media. [Merkur]. only 5% of those surveyed see this as a source of fake news.
The challenges of local journalism
Despite this positive trust, local newspapers face challenges. In Germany, newspaper circulation has been falling for years, which is particularly affecting local and regional newspapers. Wiebke Möhring, journalism professor, has mixed predictions for the future of local journalism. The sales figures speak for themselves: from the previous 18 million newspapers daily to just 11 million. Deutschlandfunk highlights that this decline could also have negative effects on democracy. In the USA there are already regions without local journalism, which leads to inefficient structures in public administrations.
In addition, the business model of newspaper publishers seems to be outdated. Funke media group reports massive losses in circulation and has announced cost-cutting programs and staff cuts. Despite these challenges, there is also increasing interest in local journalism. The willingness to pay for digital content is increasing, and many publishers are trying to compensate for subscription losses through digital payment models.
What do readers expect?
The reader forums have clearly signaled what they expect from their local journalism. Aspects such as topicality, deep and critical research and positive stories are very popular. Readers also demand to contribute to content and expect a diverse selection of topics. Younger readers also play a central role. This shows that it is time to rethink local journalism and engage readers more to increase the relevance of this essential source of information.