In Modesto, California, the need for news far exceeds the current supply. A city of 200,000 with one midsized newspaper, a large Hispanic population, 16 percent unemployment, and the second-highest rate of car theft in the nation, Modesto lies just ninety-two miles east of San Francisco. But the spirit of news experimentation that pervades the Bay Area hasn’t crossed the Coastal Range.
There are plenty of places like Modesto—small cities and towns with neither the demographics to attract outside news entrepreneurs nor the resources to develop their own. Their residents, generally less educated and less wired than their counterparts in major urban areas, continue to rely on legacy media. But many of those outlets are shrinking into insignificance, and it’s unclear what will take their place.
It’s easy to identify and praise promising news experiments; it’s harder to imagine the future of those places where bandwagons never go. If the digital-news revolution is to truly serve a mass audience, beyond educated and reasonably affluent urbanites, we must account for Modesto; we must find ways for innovation to flourish in poor towns where, for so long, it has been allowed to die.
CJR asked five people who know Modesto well to reflect on the future of news and information there, and in communities like it.
A Paperless Bee - Making the future online - Rusty Coats
Class Struggle - Tech won’t end the digital divide - Jen Schradie
School’s Out - A lost generation of journalists - Laura Paull
Plowing Ahead - A farm newspaper’s future - Kristin Platts
Just Press On - Templates for Anytown, USA - Michael Stoll
The Voice of the People - Citizen journalists to the rescue? - Patrick Giblin
Modesto, California: By the numbers
It's nice to see different journalists developing new media products that could help a city like Modesto. It's very disappointing that CJR did not reach out to anyone who actually works at The Modesto Bee to contribute to this package.
#1 Posted by Adam Ashton, CJR on Tue 15 Nov 2011 at 01:23 PM
@Adam Ashton: We asked the publisher of the Bee to write something, but he didn't respond to our request. But we'd definitely love to hear from people who currently work at the Bee. I'm seeing this package as a way to start a wider conversation about news in Modesto and places like it, and I hope that everyone who's interested in the topic eventually chimes in.
#2 Posted by Justin Peters, CJR on Tue 15 Nov 2011 at 01:44 PM
The Bee I remember from a little more than a year ago embraced multimedia journalism. Its photographers were adept with video, and online news editor Brian Clark didn't hesitate to get out of the newsroom to break stories. Opinion editor Judy Sly hosted community conversations on blogs, nudging public officials to answer hard questions from readers in real time. Reporters weren't afraid to try new things. We won public records battles, provided databases and covered live events as they happened. Our reporters were dedicated to engaging readers on any platform.
Obviously, The Bee's footprint isn't what it was during the tenure of the writers who contributed to this package. It's still a newsroom that hustles, and its journalists should be proud of the way they've grown to meet new demands. This package, however well-intentioned, seems to diminish the good work The Bee's journalists continue to produce every day in print and online.
#3 Posted by Adam Ashton, CJR on Tue 15 Nov 2011 at 02:53 PM
ModestoView is very proud to have been included in this report. We have been contributing to the local Modesto area for arts, entertainment, community and cultural information since 1997 when we launched ModestoView.com. Our start up was an online webcam network which grew into ModestoView.com, later working with the Bee on an old site called Route99Live. Here we are in 2011 and ModestoView is now a monthly print magazine with free distribution in over 500 locations and home delivery. we are very strong online at www.modestoview.com, on Facebook with nearly 4000 friends and a strong Twitter following and retweet network as well as providing our information about local events on traditional radio 1360 KFIV. All of these things work together so ModestoView can reach across our community. Thanks Patrick for including us and thanks to the community of the Greater Modesto Area for embracing ModestoView, Chris Murphy - Publisher
#4 Posted by Chris Murphy, CJR on Tue 15 Nov 2011 at 04:31 PM
This is the best series I've seen on CJR. Thank you, thank you, thank you for organizing it. These essays are so good.
#5 Posted by Steve Johns, CJR on Wed 16 Nov 2011 at 09:29 AM
As someone who grew up in the Central Valley, I understand the need for journalism and innovation in the region. However, this report fails to mention the efforts of traditional media -- specifically television stations -- to provide journalism in the greater Modesto area.
KCRA (full disclosure: I work at KCRA), the NBC affiliate based in Sacramento, has its Stanislaus County bureau based in Modesto. Our Stanislaus County Bureau Chief, along with her photographer, provide stories on the Modesto area on a daily basis. Earlier this year, KCRA produced a week-long series called Modesto Shines. This series focused on Modesto's economy, culture and people that make this city of more than 200,000 tick.
KCRA also covers Modesto-area high school sports on our High School Playbook platform. Just last week, KCRA's "Game of the Week" highlighted Ripon Christian High School (Ripon is located about 10 miles outside of Modesto.)
On the digital side, KCRA.com and KCRA Mobile provide coverage for the Modesto region 24/7, and our user-generated content platform -- u local -- allows Modesto residents to share their lives with us by uploading photos, videos and participating in forums.
While the argument can always be made that the "need for news far exceeds the current supply," we wanted to point out that there are efforts being made by some of us in traditional media to do journalism in Modesto -- and communities similar to Modesto -- on a daily basis.
We would be happy to discuss our efforts with CJR's editorial team. Feel free to email us.
#6 Posted by Shawn, CJR on Wed 16 Nov 2011 at 10:54 AM
Premise of this story falls short because it lacks the POV of the Bee, one of the first community news orgs to embrace online and multi-media, multi-platform journalism.
To dismiss criticism that you failed to include the Bee by saying the publisher didn't respond to a request is lazy and not to CJR's standards.
The challenges of communities like Modesto are real and, frankly, were difficult to meet in the best of times.
Multiple voices are always best. But by omitting the context of the challenges and successes of the local newspaper to serve the community you are inferring they are not relevant.
I have worked with and watched the news leaders and journalists in Modesto push to serve their community on many platforms. Your failure to include that work in this piece is disappointing at best and bad journalism at worst.
#7 Posted by Vikki Porter, CJR on Thu 17 Nov 2011 at 12:09 PM
When you set the premise for this collection in terms such as "continue to rely on legacy media," you assign wishful thinking and establish flawed logic.
News isn't like electric power service or potable water, no matter how many of us in media companies wish our services were needed as much as those.
If enough people in Modesto "relied" on legacy media -- meaning they bought papers and watched local TV newscasts -- those media entities would have the subscriber/audience bases to advance their businesses instead of presiding over their declines.
The real story is that people in a city that might benefit from information provided by well-equipped news organizations choose not to buy those services. In that sense, it is no different from anyplace where, for example, taxpayers vote down bond issues for schools or other works put forth in the public interest.
#8 Posted by Jay Small, CJR on Thu 17 Nov 2011 at 12:19 PM
We also have the Stanislaus Connections paper here as well : http://www.stanislausconnections.org/
Responding to Jay: I think that people want the news: it is just that they either cannot afford it, or already bombarded with media elsewhere--either in print, TV, or online--it has become clutter. I think another example is needed instead of taxpayers voting down bond issues. In one case, we have a person making a purchasing decision on one's own behalf which may or may not require the person to go into debt. With the other, we have a group of people making a purchasing decision about how to spend other peoples money that requires debt.
#9 Posted by Mozie, CJR on Tue 22 Nov 2011 at 01:23 AM
"Opinion editor Judy Sly hosted community conversations on blogs" What? I remember when she would create blogs along the lines of...does it feel like fall to anyone else? These were on the ModBee Hive...before it was shut down to open discussion and postings.
With the current leadership at the Bee, I do not see the quality of news coverage improving...regardless of online delivery upgrades!
When they do contribute coverage that is worthy of merit...they will pat themselves on the back to the point of making themselves look smug...in a bad way!
I knew a reporter who left the Bee...in order to have the freedom to report the truth as it was...not as the editors wanted it to be perceived!
This morning as I picked up coffee at Starbucks...I practically drooled over the copy of the NEW YORK TIMES!!!
#10 Posted by Gracie, CJR on Tue 6 Dec 2011 at 12:56 AM