Information Ecosystem Assessment - Eureka
Access Humboldt and Internews have completed the Information Ecosystem Assessment pilot project for Eureka!
Key Findings:
People need better information about how to address social challenges
Consolidation and closures threaten to degrade the media ecosystem
Users are quickly moving to mobile consumption via social media and blogs
Information access and usefulness is severely limited for minority communities
Eureka stands out in its optimism
Suggestions:
Develop solutions journalism collaboratives with local news outlets
Unique, dedicated effort from non-profit community to serve underserved communities
Consider dedicated channels for listening and addressing community concerns
Find synergies with the public library system
Explore new models for community access in the digital era
Further research across Humboldt County and adjacent tribal lands.
Eureka City Council Meeting_5-7-19_Internews and AH Information Ecosystem Assessment Presentation.mp4Access Humboldt Executive Director Sean McLaughlin describes the IEA process to the Eureka City Council.
AH + Internews = IEA
Access Humboldt partnered with Internews of Arcata to conduct an Information Ecosystem Assessment in Humboldt County. Beginning in May 2019 in Eureka, the IEA process features a series of listening tours and 'key informant' interviews that examine how Eurekans know what they know about what’s going on in their communities.
The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how people get local news and information, what sources they trust, and what communities are left out of the media. The information we gather will inform possible solutions to address information gaps, overlooked audiences and other issues related to news and media access.
Information gathered from listening tours, interviews and surveys will be used internally by Internews and Access Humboldt to guide strategic planning for the next several years, and will also be summarized in a public report shared with the communities we visit.
This map depicts the Information Ecosystem Assessment process, which identifies existing media institutions and relationships as well as the flow of information through a community.
This partnership is part of Internews’ US-based program The Listening Post Collective, which helps local media build more trusting relationships with the communities they seek to serve.