How do you find out what you want to know about your community?

Graphic prepared in 2022 by the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon.
February 27, 2023

University of Oregon researchers are surveying local area residents about how they find out — and would like to find out — about local news

By Bert Etling, Ashland.news

What do you need to know about what’s going on in your community? How do you currently find out that information? How would you like to find out that information?

Those are the kinds of questions a team of University of Oregon researchers are hoping you’ll help answer.

Faculty members at the UO’s Agora Journalism Center think you may have noticed a decline in local news and information in this community, a documented trend across the state and nation.

The Agora team is part of the UO School of Journalism and Communication. It bills itself as “The forum for the future of local news and civic health.”

That decline in local news sources “is affecting our ability to build strong and functioning communities,” Agora said in a release announcing a survey focusing on the Ashland-Talent-Phoenix-Medford area. “The best way to improve local news and civic health is to involve the communities most impacted,” the release adds.

So they’re surveying residents to understand how people in this area get their information. They want to know what news sources you trust, what information is essential to you, and how informed you feel about what’s going on in your community.

To take the survey, which should take about four to nine minutes to complete, click here: bit.ly/uosurvey-southoregon.

Researchers need to finish compiling results by mid-March, so responses need to be in by the end of the first week of March.

Email Ashland.news Executive Editor Bert Etling at [email protected] or call or text him at 541-631-1313.

Picture of Bert Etling

Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at [email protected].

Related Posts...

An Irish tale born in Ashland earns a ticket to Off-Broadway

A musical born from a story told in an Ashland community hall more than two decades ago is now headed to New York. “Parcel From America” — a heartfelt tale of love, loss and neighborly grace set in 1950s rural Ireland — has received the green light for an Off-Broadway run in fall of 2026.

Read More »

Our Sponsors

Rogue Theater Company Waiting for Godot Grizzly Peak Winery Ashland Oregon

Latest posts

Real Estate Corner: A market in motion

Carrie Dahle: If you’ve been waiting for a sign that the real estate market is shifting, this is it. Cash buyers are still ruling the board, but for the first time in over a year, buyers who need financing are finally back in the game.

Read More >

Our Sponsors

ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum Monster Ball Ashland Oregon
Conscious Design Build Ashland Oregon
Literary Arts Timothy Snyder Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Portland Oregon
Ashland Community Composting Ashland Oregon
Pronto Printing Ashland Medford Southern Oregon

Explore More...

This week's theme: four hidden tribes who had to leave our area, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Solve it in your browser or download and print. Next Friday's crossword: Enjoy the Ride #03
Nearly 600 people packed the Angus Bowmer Theatre in Ashland Monday for a talk by internationally recognized civil rights expert john a. powell and the launch of a new local initiative aimed at fostering collaboration.
The Oregon Supreme Court questioned the scope Wednesday of an Oregon measure struck down by a lower court that regulated vape packaging in a case highlighting the tension between the state’s free speech protections and regulation of corporate activity.
Amy Greenwold:This is a very divisive topic with a huge amount of misinformation published. I commend your editor for including this "Viewpoint" piece, "In Defense of Israel."
A musical born from a story told in an Ashland community hall more than two decades ago is now headed to New York. “Parcel From America” — a heartfelt tale of love, loss and neighborly grace set in 1950s rural Ireland — has received the green light for an Off-Broadway run in fall of 2026.

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.

ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)