Every now and then, we get a very catchy and educational song with an important message. Think Schoolhouse Rock classics including “I’m just a bill,” or the fun and funky Sesame Street hit that taught many of us to count to 12, or the very hard-to-forget “Dumb Ways to Die,” from Australia’s Metro Trains.
If only there was a catchy and educational song about journalism.
Oh look!
Oklahoma Media Center, a nonpartisan group that works to support that state’s local news ecosystem, recently put out its own tune called “Free press isn’t free.”
I spoke with OMC’s executive director, Rob Collins, about the video.
Kristen Hare: How did you all decide on this campaign?
Rob Collins: Our news industry is suffering a revenue market disruption. At the same time, misinformation runs rampant on social media. Many folks don’t trust the national media or see the value of paying for independently verified and documented community news. And they don’t understand how the press is a founding pillar of our representative democracy that must remain independent of government rule. So Oklahoma Media Center came up with the slogan that “a free press is not free.” The idea to do a "Schoolhouse Rock!"-inspired song came from Angel Cantrell-Ellis, our board treasurer and director of Mvskoke Media in the Muskogee (Creek) Nation. Okie guitarist Michael Hosty was a big fan of Bob Dorough, the guy behind those songs. Hosty tried to conjure up inspiration from Dorough when writing this original tune for OMC’s local news literacy campaign. And we found a New York-based studio, Mechanism Digital, with experience animating in the spirit of “Schoolhouse Rock!”
Hare: Where do you hope to see it used?
Collins: Our nonpartisan nonprofit is giving stipends to newsrooms to broadcast and publish the video, which is targeted for Gen X and Baby Boomer audiences that don’t pay for news. We’re also helping news orgs execute paid social media campaigns targeting hyperlocal audiences. (Note from Poynter: We’re not part of that campaign and got no funding to write about this project.) According to our academic study, a whopping 77 percent of participants cited Facebook as their primary source of local news and information. And our statewide polling showed media sources are more trusted closer home, which is particularly true in Oklahoma and other red states. We also learned a major factor for developing newsroom trust is a recommendation by a trustworthy individual. So we’re asking news orgs to add a call to action with a trusted person urging citizens to donate, subscribe or advertise locally. And we’re looking for more partners to broaden the statewide project’s impact.
Hare: Some news is free, at least people don't have to pay to consume it, like public radio or non-profits. Are they part of this message, too?
Collins: Yes, our collaborative has more than 30 news outlets statewide, including nonprofits and public radio. Even if you don’t pay to access news, it’s not free. That’s because it takes money to produce documented, verified journalism that is ethical and fair-minded. If your tax status is nonprofit, you still need funding from donations, foundation support, sponsorships or subscriptions to pay trained journalists to produce news. And we all pay the cost when the information’s lost, as Hosty’s song says. So you get what you pay for, right?
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