In May 2010, New America's Media Policy Initiative published the first version of a case study of Scranton’s “information health”—a comprehensive examination of the information needs of Scranton, PA and the community’s capacity to fulfill them. We submitted this report, along with comprehensive commentary on the state of American media, to the FCC for its workshop on “The Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities.” Since publication, we have continued our research and analysis on Scranton, supplementing our initial findings with a second release, published in August 2010.
Despite substantial information needs, Scranton’s news media industry shed jobs and outlets copiously in recent years. We found that the community has enormous potential for digital media, especially due to widespread access to high-speed Internet, but information providers have thus far been slow to adapt to the digital age. In our report, we analyze the recent history of Scranton’s media, the distribution of content and resources within outlets, funding for public media, and the degree of government transparency, among other factors. We always welcome further commentary, for which you may e-mail Knight Media Policy Fellow Tom Glaisyer.
Read the report: An Information Community Case Study: Scranton
You can also check out blog articles posted during our research process:
