7 percent hand wringing

Alright. I'm joining the online conversation (a little late, as usual) about the abysmal turnout in Greensboro's primary election.

We devoted a lot of resources to covering the candidates. But the turnout indicates that no one was reading and/or caring. What can we do to make municipal elections more relevant? Some options:
1. Less coverage. People don't seem to think municipal elections are relevant to their life. So maybe we should stick to covering the things they care about.
2. The Daily Show. Should we lighten up our coverage to appeal to more people, even if it means less issue coverage? In this scenario, if we pull it off, more people would have the basic information, but it might turn off the folks seeking serious, substantive coverage.
3. Status quo. We keep filing dense, serious stories, hoping that the information we provide sways those readers who do go to the polls.
What should our role be? How do we fit in to the media environment in the Piedmont Triad?

2 comments:

Roch101 said...

Maybe have the Yes! girls hand out the "I voted" stickers.

Anonymous said...

How 'bout we show the people a better alternative to the status quo.


And the Yes Girls would be cool too.