What Would Atlantic City’s Story Be If It Were Told by — and for — the People Who Live There?
You know the story: Casino closures. Job losses. Property disputes. Bankruptcy. Poverty. These are the things people hear about Atlantic City.
But how might Atlantic City’s story be different if it were told by — and for — the people who live there?
Because of its history and importance to the state economy, regional and national media outlets keep their eyes on this city of fewer than 40,000 residents. But the attention is less on the residents than on their aggregate woes. The stories that trickle up to a national audience tend to be sensationalistic, hewing to either a rise-and-fall or rebirth narrative, with the starring roles played by casinos, real estate magnates and politicians.
A 2014 NPR story was headlined “Atlantic City Falls from Glittering Resort to Bargain Basement.” A similar story from Bloomberg proclaimed “Atlantic City Will Soon Disappear Alongside Its Casino Economy.” An 2015 Fusion article called the city the “foreclosure capital of the U.S.” While national stories like these tend to include quotes from a handful of local residents, the people in these stories are presented in two-dimensional terms, defined by their hardship. We see only a sketch, not the full picture of their day-to-day experiences.
The news that makes national headlines isn’t the same kind of coverage local people need to tackle problems head on and forge a shared future. If journalism is to contribute to a civic, democratic response to community problems, it must provide people with a sense of how to work toward solutions. That’s especially true in places like Atlantic City, where so many critical questions about the city’s future are in the hands of powerful outsiders — state-government officials, investors, judges — rather than the people who live and work there.
That’s the kind of journalism we’re trying to foster through Free Press’ News Voices: New Jersey project, and it’s why we’re convening a gathering in Atlantic City on Tues., Dec. 8. We’ve invited small-business owners, artists, social workers, teachers, pastors and many other folks who call Atlantic City home to sit down with journalists and explore how they can work together to create the news that will sustain the city’s future.
Across the country, newsrooms are exploring ways to provide better coverage by inviting the public into the work of journalism. In Flint, Michigan, an investigative reporter was able to stop poisoned water from flowing through the city’s taps by enlisting hundreds of residents to collect samples from their homes for testing. A newspaper in Peoria, Illinois, filled gaps in its newsroom by inviting members of its most underserved neighborhood to become part of an advisory group that’s helped produce solutions-oriented coverage of crime and unemployment. In Sacramento, California, a public radio station brought people experiencing food insecurity together with other members of the community for small-group conversations and broadcast parties. Staying engaged with the ongoing conversation it initiated, the station reported not just on the problem of hunger but on solutions that emerged from community collaborations.
These types of collaborations between newsrooms and communities can happen in Atlantic City, too. Our public forum is part of News Voices: New Jersey’s investment in helping to make those relationships happen. In the coming months, we’ll be working with journalists from local and regional outlets to help them explore new ways of engaging with the readers they serve. We’ll also work with community members and organizations to help them figure out how to build relationships and work with members of the news media.
Journalism plays a critical role in gathering facts, holding leaders accountable and providing people with the information they need to make change. When journalists listen to the people in their community, recognize their insights, respond to their questions and produce coverage that helps people navigate through challenges, then journalism becomes an important part of revitalizing the community.
We believe that Atlantic City’s greatest asset is its people: Their knowledge and experiences can help move the city forward. People who have weathered job losses are experts on how to cope with hardship. People working for a better future know best which aspects of the system are broken. Those who have weathered crises know how to look for opportunities. That’s why listening to the people is the first step toward reporting the news they need.
Free Press’s News Voices: New Jersey community forum in Atlantic City will be held on Tues., Dec. 8, from 6–8:30 p.m. Click here to learn more and to RSVP.
