BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Nancy Kelchlin, Dana Marciniak, and Pastor Dwayne Jones are long standing members of the community, and they agreed to answer our questions about the local news media.
Ali: What are your thoughts? What is your perception or impression of local news?
Jones: There needs to be more journalists that look like the community they’re interviewing.
Coverage should also be consistent. Jones said the inner city is being treated differently than the suburbs. “I think there’s an imbalance because there is good that happens in all neighborhoods. We gave away 1,000 toys and couldn’t get anyone to cover it. But, when there’s a shooting on the east side, I get all major stations,” he said.
Marciniak said local morning news typically does a good job sharing positive news. But, she’d like to see more of it throughout the day. “When I come home at five o’clock I wish that’s when the good news was on, because my day was so long and so stressful. But, usually it’s in the morning.”
Kelchlin doesn’t think the conservative or liberal slants that have now become attached to national outlets have trickled down to local coverage.
“Locally, they’re doing a good job of trying to present the facts. I don’t see specific bias,” she said.
A recent national survey showed viewers want more in-depth stories and ones that are positive and inspiring. It also found there’s more trust among local news than national outlets.
