Consider yourself a conservative? We want your opinion on Courier Times and Intell content – Bucks County Courier Times

Coming off the tumultuous 2020 election, Gannett editors discussed how to look for ways to be more inclusive in all aspects, from race and religion to ideology and income.

I tasked Pennsylvania editors to search for ideas and initiatives we could explore with greater community outreach in any of these areas.

We're chipping away at multiple areas as I write. We have one that's ready to go.

Our state planning director and longtime editor Torin Sweeney recently hit me up with an idea to engage those who stand on the conservative side of the political spectrum.

Weveheard a lot about how divided this country is,probablyenough during the last election cycle to last a lifetime.Theres a reason for that: Its true. We see it on our opinion pages and in comments on our Facebook page. Weve been called biased, fake news, a liberal rag and those are the kind ones.

So how do we overcome this?

Regaining trust once its lost is no trivial thing. Trust in the mediaby those who identify themselves as conservative or right-leaning continues to drop. A Pew Research Center study heading into the 2020 election found that of 30 national news sources, only two, Fox News and ABC,were trusted by at least33 percentof those on the right.

So we want to find a way to constructively engage and connect with that significant point of view, particularly in purple Bucks County.

Weve partnered with the American Press Institute and Trusting News on a project called Reengaging the Right,to study that deficit in trust.And we need your help.

Maybe youre a subscriber, maybe youre not.Maybe you think we get it right sometimes, or maybe you think were fake news.ThatsO.K.You only have to identify as politically right of center.

If youre interested, itstarts with a survey, which you can find athttp://bit.ly/newstrustsurvey.

Basedonthe surveyswe receive, well pick three to five peopleof varying backgrounds, demographics and degrees of conservative belief,and begin reaching out the week of April 5for interviews.Sweeney will help coordinate our efforts here.

Itwont bea debate or a salespitch. Were not going to argue with you or try to change your mind. Well ask you questions, youll answer, well listen. Simple as that.

Theinterviews willlast about an hour and can take place via phone or Zoom, and they will be recorded.Recordingswill not be shared with anyonebesidesthose involved with theproject.Youwon'tsomedayseeyourselfon YouTube.We wont evenidentify you within the project byyour real name.After the interview is complete, youll receive a gift card that can be used at a variety of national businesses.Not a bad deal.

And you'll be part of a bigger initiative. American Press Institute looked for diversity related to geography, community size and platform. The Institute wants to see how answers differ in various parts of the country, in urban and rural environments and among public radio listeners,weekly newspaper readers andmetro TV viewers. It has commitments from at least 30 publications and stations, with a handful of other Gannett properties from various parts of the country.

Our goal as journalists is to serve our community. Full stop. That means everyone who lives and works in our region,liberal or conservative or somewhere in the middle, even if you dont trust us. And if you dont, consider taking the survey and telling us why.

We have to make an effort to listen to one another, for the greater good or our communities.

Shane Fitzgerald is Executive Editor of the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer, as well as the Pennsylvania State Editor for the USA Today Network. Email: sfitzgerald@couriertimes.com.

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Consider yourself a conservative? We want your opinion on Courier Times and Intell content - Bucks County Courier Times