Media Profile Blog

JOUR 3279W

The Complex Relationship Between Journalists and the Public: Insights from Nancy Yang

The Importance of Diverse Representation in Media

November 2023

By Faith Vue

The public’s critical perception of the media continues to create a fraught relationship between journalists and their audiences. Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, public skepticism and mistrust of the media around the nation have increased. With concerns about credibility and representation, journalists must consistently transform their process and the way they tell stories. Nancy Yang, an expert in analyzing audiences, shares her input on the current state of the journalism industry.

In 2003, Yang began her career as a part-time reporter at the Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper organization. Nearly two decades later, she returns as their Senior Editor of Audience Engagement.

With her extensive expertise, Yang has adopted unique insights into the eroding trust between journalists and their audiences. Amid media criticism, she acknowledges the many misconceptions surrounding the work of journalists and reporters.

“People think we are paid to write stories,” said Yang. “But really our job is to document what’s happening right now. We’re the first ones to be documenting history as it happens.”

The tasks of journalists have become heavily simplified by public perception, often leading to doubt and mistrust. The misconceptions of journalists pushing stories for headlines disregard the news-gathering and fact-checking process they undergo to inform the public. Inevitably, work becomes harder as more and more continue to believe that media outlets work on an agenda.

As a Hmong American media member who has been advocating for DEI initiatives since the beginning of her career, Yang understands and acknowledges why BIPOC communities have a lack of trust in the media.

“The mainstream media has not typically been there for the BIPOC community,” noted Yang. “For a lot of mainstream media outlets, the Star Tribune included, we’ve got our work cut out for us in terms of connecting with marginalized communities. It’s going to be a process.”

As upcoming journalists enter the industry, Yang has observed a common and growing goal to connect with diverse audiences that are typically unaddressed and underrepresented by the media. In Yang’s role, she helps journalists navigate the process of understanding audiences by using data and metrics. Successful smaller stories within their target audiences are measured by tracking where these conversations occur in the digital space and identifying gaps of other communities that may be overlooked, helping journalists and editors better prepare for their next story.

It is pivotal for newsrooms to push diverse stories that impact and highlight marginalized communities regardless of how much traction it secures. Yang has personally seen how persistent efforts to form relationships with underrepresented communities have become effective in growing public trust. Although engagement and traffic to these stories may not be as great, they generate more responses and bring in new readers.

“Just because people are not clicking on a story does not mean that it’s not worthy of doing,” Yang stated. “It’s just that it hasn’t found an audience yet and it is on us, our team, to help that story find its audience.”

The media has an expectation to adhere to inclusivity and diversity, but Yang upholds an even greater standard for journalists to portray stories accurately. The best way to transcend the media's relationship with its audience is by authentically fostering connections with marginalized communities. Stories are meaningless if they don't uphold the truth for the communities they serve.

Journalists and the media help the public make informed decisions by addressing the truths and injustices of our society. However, to be efficient in such responsibility, all communities must be ensured equal access to information. By doing so, the media can repair its strained relationship with audiences.

“I want to make sure we are being accurate and fair [with representation], because if we’re not, then we’re actually there for only one community,” Yang expressed. “We’re not being reflective of our community as a whole and that’s what our mission is. Our role is to be of service, and if we’re not serving our entire community, then we are failing.”