In winter 2024, University of Oregon students partnered with the Sustainable City Year Program, the Agora Journalism Center, and the City of Salem to better understand how information flows through Salem’s Hispanic community. Guided by the Listening Post Collective’s Playbook, the team conducted a bilingual survey, held a listening session with 80 students, and visited community gathering spaces. The assessment revealed that while residents—especially youth—are highly connected through personal networks, social media, and local Spanish-language radio, there remain gaps in access to trusted, timely, and bilingual civic information. The report offers recommendations aimed at building a more inclusive and responsive information ecosystem for Salem’s Hispanic community.
Key Insights
- Dominance of Social Media and Personal Networks: Instagram, TikTok, and word of mouth are the most common ways residents learn about important events; younger residents rely heavily on social media, while older residents turn to Spanish-language radio.
- Trusted Local Media in Spanish: Stations like La Campeona (KWIP 880), El Rey (KRYP 93.1), and Radio Poder 98.3 are key sources of news, often shared intergenerationally.
- Physical Spaces Matter: Schools, community centers, sporting events, and local markets (like Lancaster Flea Market) are important hubs for sharing information.
- Top Topics of Concern: K–12 education, housing and homelessness, gun violence, environmental issues, and economic challenges.
- Information Gaps: Many residents feel uninformed about local government processes and how to participate in local politics, with youth showing especially low civic engagement.
Recommendations
- Engage Youth Through Media Partnerships: Develop school-based, youth-led news programs for Instagram and TikTok (e.g., “Salem 10”) to deliver weekly updates in a concise, visual format.
- Create and Distribute Bilingual Resource Guides: Compile information on local services, events, and civic processes, distributing them both online and in physical community hubs.
- Strengthen Listening and Coverage via Local Spanish Media: Partner with outlets like Radio Poder and Mano a Mano to host listening sessions and address identified coverage gaps.
- Build a Centralized Civic Information Hub: Develop a bilingual online platform aggregating news from both mainstream and Spanish-language sources, along with tools for civic participation.
To read the full report and explore our detailed findings and recommendations, click the “Read The Report” link to the right.