Scripps News has launched a new audience engagement initiative that gives viewers a more direct way to contact the journalists covering their communities and the stories that matter to them.
The initiative, called “Connect with Me,” allows Scripps News correspondents to offer viewers dedicated text numbers and e-mail addresses. The company said the goal is to create clearer lines of communication between reporters and audiences, giving consumers a way to share questions, concerns and story ideas in real time.
Scripps News said the effort is intended to strengthen trust and authenticity at a time when audiences are looking for more transparency from news organizations.
At a time when audiences are looking for more trust and authenticity, Scripps News is reinforcing journalism’s role as a public service by creating more direct lines of communication between reporters and the communities they cover,” the company said Thursday.
The program marks a shift from more traditional newsroom feedback systems: In many local and national newsrooms, outside calls and tips are handled through an assignment desk, a general phone line or an online contact form. Scripps News said “Connect with Me” is designed to move beyond those channels by allowing viewers to communicate more directly with the correspondents who report stories.
Text messaging and e-mail will help audiences surface community concerns, ask questions and influence coverage while stories are developing.
The launch comes as Scripps continues a broader transformation under Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson: The company has reworked parts of its television, digital and national news operations in recent years as local broadcasters face pressure from changing viewing habits, weaker linear television economics and the need to build stronger direct relationships with audiences.
Two years ago, Scripps News shut down its over-the-air broadcast channel in favor of digital-only distribution, a move that also came with more than 200 job losses.
