Guideposts from our readers
You gave us a lot to chew on.
When we sent out a survey last week, we expected to get a lot of insightful feedback from our readers.
You didn’t disappoint. Nearly 300 Tucson Agenda subscribers responded with clever nuggets like asking us to cover “greed-oriented shenanigans,” which is a near-perfect motto for a news outlet, or posing heartfelt questions like “How do we heal from this?”
We sent out the survey shortly after the news broke that Trump had won a second term. It was a raw moment and Agenda readers had a lot they wanted to get off their chests.
In the end, about 40% of our paid subscribers gave us their two cents, which is an astounding response rate.
We can’t thank you enough. We spent hours and hours this week pondering what you told us. It’s already shaping our plans for next year’s coverage.
Below are quotes from readers that show some of the main themes we found.1 Hopefully, you’ll see thoughts and ideas from your fellow Agenda readers that strike a chord with you.
First, the numbers
We asked you which political party you considered yourself a part of:
80%: Democrats
14%: Other
5%: Republicans
Your reaction to Trump winning the presidential election (in a multiple choice format with options we came up with):
66%: I’m terrified!
18%: I’m still disoriented
9%: We’ve been here before. We know how to deal with it.
3%: I’m thrilled!
How you thought a second Trump administration would affect your life:
54%: Everything is going to change
10%: No more or less than other administrations
5%: Not much at all
That question brought in more than 100 personalized answers, some of which we included below.
What you want us to cover
A huge number of readers want the Agenda to focus on how the Trump administration’s policies affect Southern Arizona.
“The border and immigration raids - I think it’s gonna get ugly.”
“How the coming hollowing out of the federal administrative bodies will affect Southern Arizona's public health and environment.”
“The major ways the federal government, especially funding, has supported state and local activity and how changes will make the state and local functions harder to maintain. And also what we will do regardless of federal control.”
“I remember Betsy DeVos, but of course, if there is no Department of Education there will be no Secretary of Education. OMG, does that mean Tom Horne can run wild(er)?”
But Agenda readers clearly do not want the federal government to be our sole focus.
“Telling stories of good policy progress/impacts locally can help us cope with the bad stuff that will befall us nationally.”
“More local issues, less national news. Other outlets already saturate the airwaves whining about how Trump represents the end of civilization.”
So which local issues do Agenda readers want to know more about?
“I'm a ‘housing theory of everything’ guy, so I'm always interested in housing news. Zoning, changes in housing regulations, etc. Also, any news about jobs or ways that Tucson is looking to bring high-wage jobs to the city.”
“So worried about consequences to climate change efforts.”
“How have City Council members changed the approach to their work now that we voted them a full-time salary? Are they meeting our higher expectations that go with that?”
“We learn almost nothing about what goes on in all our local governments and how our state representatives are voting unless it's something that some specific group, who is usually against something (eg: NIMBY), gets worked up about.”
“The terrible job the county attorney and sheriff are doing. The reluctance of Oro Valley to rezone commercially zoned land that won't be developed because there is a lack of residents. The need for the State Land Department to entitle and auction land around Tucson.”
And readers want the Agenda to deliver more than just information.
“Be straight with us as you always are about the truth, the good and the bad, but also please let us know about the glimmers of hope in all this.”
“If you could find a way to make your content easy for people to take in on a daily (or whatever regular basis) I would love to see what effect that could have on future elections.”
“I appreciate primers on how things work and why they matter- you guys do a fantastic job of covering what is happening, but I also need and love those longer-form moments when you’re like, “here is the context and why this matters for those of you who are not policy buffs on XYZ”. I need more than the story to understand the significance, I need the analysis and context, and I appreciate you providing!”
Those primers are some of our favorite things to write, and read. We all need people to explain complicated stuff.
Readers want ways to get involved, and hear about other people getting involved.
“Highlight positive efforts in our community, folks making this a better place to live.”
“What the community is doing to counter racism and violence against minorities.”
“I would like to know of nice, neutral ways to get involved civically - be that volunteering, called to attend local meetings, complete surveys etc.”
“We are a blue beacon in a sea of red this election. How does Tucson maintain this? What cultural aspects of Tucson make us progressive? Any other areas go “as blue” as we did?”
As you can see, Agenda readers had a lot to say. And you gave us a lot to think about as we develop our plan for 2025, which we’ll share with you before the end of the year.
If you want to add to the conversation, leave a comment! Curt will check in and respond to comments throughout the day.
We lightly edited the responses, mostly for punctuation and spelling.
I would like to see more reporting about local courts, I.e. is there a big backlog of criminal cases in Superior Court and if so what is the court and County Attorney doing to address this issue. Is this problem unique to Pima County or common in other counties? If unique, why?
Makes me sad that Republicans are so poorly thought of-by your readers. I wish people could be positive instead of so negative. We all are Americans with different points of view that should be respected.