“I had no idea journalism was so hard.”
That’s what one participant said that to me after a recent community gathering in Durango — part of Free Press Free Country, a statewide initiative that brings journalists and residents together for honest, behind‑the‑scenes conversations about how local news is produced.
More than 75 people showed up — students, retirees, business owners, civic leaders. They saw the late nights, the editorial debates, the difficult calls. They saw the responsibility.
And something important happened: people leaned in.
That moment challenges a common narrative. We often hear that trust is too low and the civic fabric too frayed.
Nationally, that concern is real. Gallup reports that trust in mass media has fallen to about 28% — a new historic low.
But local news tells a different story.
“I had no idea journalism was so hard.”
That’s what one participant said that to me after a recent community gathering in Durango — part of Free Press Free Country, a statewide initiative that brings journalists and residents together for honest, behind‑the‑scenes conversations about how local news is produced.
More than 75 people showed up — students, retirees, business owners, civic leaders. They saw the late nights, the editorial debates, the difficult calls. They saw the responsibility.
And something important happened: people leaned in.
That moment challenges a common narrative. We often hear that trust is too low and the civic fabric too frayed.
Nationally, that concern is real. Gallup reports that trust in mass media has fallen to about 28% — a new historic low.
But local news tells a different story.
According to Pew Research Center, roughly seven in ten Americans say they have at least some trust in their local news outlets — significantly higher than trust in national media.
People care deeply about their communities — schools, water, housing, public safety, small businesses, the future their kids will inherit. What they lack isn’t concern. It’s clarity. It’s connection. It’s a pathway from information to participation.
That’s what I’ll be exploring at CiviCO from Omni’s upcoming Purpose Hour: how we move people from overwhelm to action — and why the future of civic leadership depends on rebuilding the information layer of our communities.
If we believe in civic purpose, we have to care about how people get information.
For too long, we’ve treated news as something to passively consume — a lean‑back experience. But trust isn’t rebuilt through messaging campaigns or branding. Trust is built through participation.
When people understand how information is gathered.
When they see how decisions are made.
When they’re invited into the process.
In Colorado, we’re experimenting with what that looks like.
COLab partners with nearly 200 news outlets across the state. Through our MATCH Lab (which stands for Media, Academia and Talent Collaborating to Help), college students work alongside local news outlets to solve real business and engagement challenges — strengthening sustainability while creating hands‑on civic learning. Through tools like Build Your Own Ballot and budget simulations, residents can explore local issues interactively instead of skimming headlines. Through deliberative polling and community forums planned this year, we’ll be testing ways to move beyond reaction and toward informed dialogue.
We are building the next version of civic infrastructure.
Every sector represented in CiviCO from Omni — business, nonprofit, philanthropy, government, education — relies on an informed public.
When people don’t understand local decisions, they disengage.
When they disengage, leadership becomes harder.
When leadership becomes harder, trust erodes further.
The good news? We can interrupt that cycle.
Collaboration is already working. Newsrooms are partnering with universities. Civic organizations are co‑hosting events. Business leaders are underwriting tools that make ballot information accessible and clear. Students are contributing real solutions. Communities are showing up when invited into meaningful conversations.
The shift is subtle but powerful: from information as a product to information as shared infrastructure.
And infrastructure only works when we maintain it together.
At Purpose Hour, we’ll explore practical questions:
You don’t have to run a newsroom to play a role.
You might host a conversation. Support a pilot. Connect students to practitioners. Fund a tool that makes complex issues understandable. Amplify work that deserves attention.
Small, strategic actions — multiplied across sectors — change trajectories.
The moment in Durango reminded me of something essential: when people see the work, they value it. When they understand the process, they respect it. When they’re invited in, they participate.
Civic purpose isn’t abstract. It’s built — decision by decision, partnership by partnership, conversation by conversation.
If you’re feeling the weight of this moment — the polarization, the fatigue, the sense that we could be doing better — you’re not alone.
There is a path forward.
It begins with information. It grows through participation. And it succeeds through collaboration.
I hope you’ll join us at CiviCO from Omni’s Purpose Hour — and be part of what’s next.
