A recent Pew Research Center survey finds that 23% of U.S. adults have spoken with a local journalist. Education, income, and community attachment play a key role in who gets interviewed.
For publishers and newsroom leaders focused on audience engagement and local reach, new data from the Pew-Knight Initiative highlights which Americans are most likely to interact directly with local journalists. According to a December 2025 Pew Research Center survey, just 23% of U.S. adults say they have ever spoken with or been interviewed by a local journalist or reporter.
The survey, conducted among 3,560 U.S. adults, shows that most Americans-76%-have never had direct contact with local media. However, the likelihood of being interviewed is not evenly distributed. College graduates are notably more likely to have spoken with a local journalist, with 30% reporting such an interaction, compared to only 17% of those with a high school diploma or less.
Income also plays a significant role. Among Americans with higher family incomes, 31% say they have talked to a local journalist, while just 18% of those with lower incomes report the same. Racial differences are also evident: 26% of White adults say they have spoken with a local journalist, compared to 21% of Black adults, 17% of Hispanic adults, and 11% of Asian adults. The difference between White and Black adults was not statistically significant.
Attachment to the local community appears to increase the likelihood of media interaction. Among those who feel very attached to their community, 34% have spoken with a local journalist, a higher rate than among less-attached residents. Age and political affiliation, however, do not show significant differences in the likelihood of being interviewed.
The survey notes that journalists do not randomly select interviewees, which may contribute to disparities in who gets featured in local news coverage. These findings offer actionable insights for newsrooms aiming to broaden their sources and better reflect the diversity of their communities. Similar efforts to boost engagement and representation have been reported in other markets, such as when Swedish local newsrooms adopted new metrics to track subscriber interaction.
The Pew Research Center, established in 2004, is a nonpartisan organization known for its in-depth public opinion polling and demographic research. Its American Trends Panel, which conducted this survey, includes tens of thousands of U.S. adults and is widely used by media organizations and policymakers to track shifts in public attitudes and behaviors.
