$4 gas: An opportunity for community journalism

By Rob Golub

We’ve talked a lot on this site about serving our communities. Now it’s time to hit the gas on that.

Remember our emotional engagement rule: We don’t cover our communities. That’s soul-crushing. We serve our communities.

That’s what forms the relationship between a news service and its audience. That’s what breathes life into our news products.

Gas has hit $4 per gallon in the United States, on average. Historically, that leads to economic stress and impatience among ordinary people. Gas matters.

Let’s please avoid the typical anti-engagement way to respond. If you run a community news service, don’t just cover the rising price of gas. Don’t run a story saying local prices are higher. People already know. They’ve seen it at the pump. They’ve seen national coverage. You won’t outdo it.

Instead, ask: How can we serve our community right now? How can we be a community cheerleader? How can we apply the eight motivators of emotional engagement?

Here are some options:

1. Talk to ordinary people at the pump.

That hits the “ordinary people” motivator. Let your audience see themselves in your news product.

2. Do it in chunky text.

Photos and captions. A listicle. “Ten people at the pump.” Fast, visual, relatable.

3. Talk to gas station owners.

They’re ordinary people too. What are they thinking? This is enterprise journalism: Wonder something, then go find the answer.

4. Listen for the community-cheerleader angle.

Are they trying to keep prices low? Are they feeling badly about how this affects their neighbors? Do they have advice on when prices tend to drop?

5. Talk to local business owners.

Higher fuel costs affect deliveries, services, and production. Who’s feeling it?

6. Ask: Who needs help right now?

Is a local nonprofit struggling with transportation costs? Is a volunteer program affected? Is there something we all can do?

Stand up for your community today, and they’ll trust you tomorrow — even when you bring them news that contradicts something they saw online.

This is how we get to the promised land, one gas station at a time.

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Like what you read?

I’m building a movement for greater trust in journalism, rooted in emotional engagement of audiences. If this resonates with you, please forward this to a colleague or friend who cares about the future of local or community news.

For additional practical steps, check out the Successful Journalism One-Sheet Guide.

Together, we can create journalism that communities believe in.