Total Community Coverage Series

TCC Series | KDMC Communities Seminars

Building Trust Through Open Conversation

Throughout the history of the news business, the technology of mass media required a primarily one-way approach to communication: News organizations "talked," communities passively listened. This was because the logistical and technical barriers to presenting a truly multidirectional public conversation via print and broadcast were formidable.

Conversations are a valuable tool for building respect, understanding, and trust.

Malouette, via Flickr (CC license)

However, in many newsrooms, these barriers have since metastasized into institutional and cultural resistance toward public conversation that includes a diversity of unfiltered community voices. "Maintaining content standards" sometimes becomes code for "ignoring the rabble."

Being "on send" all the time clashes with some fundamental aspects of human psychology, making it difficult for news organizations to connect well with their communities. We evolved as conversational creatures; monologues are inherently less engaging. People tend not to trust people or organizations that appear to refrain from "getting too close."

Yet, aside from selectively published and heavily edited letters to the editor, most news organizations still offer their communities little or no direct voice through their venue. What does this convey to communities about whose voice really matters?

When you also consider that mainstream news organizations often overlook issues and perspectives in communities of difference, it's understandable why many of these communities have a negative relationship with their local mainstream news outlets.

Treating news as more of a conversation, not just a publication, can go a long way toward building or rebuilding bridges to communities of difference. Fortunately, online and mobile media make this much easier and less costly.

Tips to foster constructive online conversation:

• Talk to communities before choosing your tools. Where and how are these people already engaging in public conversations? This may vary by community and purpose. Some may prefer e-mail discussion groups. Others might like to leave comments on news stories or blog posts. Some might be more comfortable with forums. Others might like text-messaging services, or be avid users of social media. Some may love to send cell-phone photos or contribute to collaborative maps or wikis. Others may not be online at all or have a cell phone, but are happy to phone in and leave voice messages. The key is to let them show you what kind of conversation works best for them -- and demonstrate respect by honoring that preference.
  
  
• Conversation is not a spectator sport. The most common mistake news organizations make when engaging communities via online and mobile media is that people from the news organization rarely (or never) participate. When a community actively engages but the news organization doesn't respond, that again send the message that community conversations are some kind of ghetto apart from the real business of news. Responding publicly to community members not only demonstrates attention and respect -- it's also the best way to encourage civil, constructive conversation.
  
  Judging by a 2008 report from Associated Press Managing Editors on the Online Credibility Gap, the public appears to value journalists' participation in the public conversation -- unlike most editors. When asked about journalists joining the conversation online and giving personal views, 64% of respondents from the public rated this as moderately to very beneficial. In contrast, 73% of editors surveyed rated it as harmful, with a full 25% calling it "very harmful." If the public desires public conversation with journalists, but journalists won't participate, that's probably not helpful to efforts to build community relationships and loyalty.
  
  
  
  APME research shows that while a majority of the public wants journalists to participate in open public conversation, an even bigger majority of editors oppose it.
  

  apme.com
• Provide clear rules and expectations. If your goal is civil discourse, it's important to post a clear policy outlining which kinds of contributions are encouraged, which are discouraged, and which can result in posts being deleted or contributors being suspended or banned. A great example is the CincyMoms forum guidelines.
  
  
• Highlight the best community contributions. In all of your offerings (online, mobile, broadcast, and print), prominently showcase the best recent contributions from your community. This not only sends the message that your news organization truly values this content, but it also makes it easier for people to go straight to the high-quality offerings, reducing the signal-to-noise problem common in many kinds of community media and public conversation. It also provides a direct incentive for contributors to do their best. The front page of Slate.com's active political discussion forum, The Fray, is a great example of this. It highlights the best content as chosen by readers, traffic, and editors.
  
  
• Manage problems behind the scenes first. Often people misbehave in public conversations because they're passionate. They're not really trying to cause trouble. Unless problem contributors are being flat-out abusive or profane, it's best to contact them privately first, behind the scenes, and let them know that you welcome their passion and you'd like to work with them to express it in a way that will have more impact. This level of attention, doled out judiciously, can turn some of your initial troublemakers into valuable contributors and evangelists.
  
  
• Be patient. Online communities generally take time to develop -- often a couple of years or more. It takes time to gain traction, credibility, relevance, and cultural currency -- especially when you're trying to reach out to communities with which you haven't enjoyed strong relationships. Keep your initial goals for public conversation small, and focus more on quality rather than quantity.

Next: Talk Isn't Cheap: Spreading the Word...

Comments & Questions

What do you think of this article, or our entire Total Community Coverage learning module? Please submit your comment or question below, and we'll publish and respond to it on the TCC blog.