A recent community listening event by The Oglethorpe Echo, in partnership with WUGA, was the first of its kind, connecting Echo journalists with a diverse group of community members, including long-time readers, local business owners and educators.
“I was super pleased with how it ended up turning out,” said organizer Katie Tucker, a former Echo reporter and staff producer at WUGA. “Some people came in and knew exactly what they wanted to talk about. We had a really good conversation.”
The 16 in attendance, including Echo chairman Dink NeSmith, editor Andy Johnston and WUGA program director Martin Matheny, were broken up into two groups, one facilitated by Tucker and Johnston, and the other by Amanda Bright, assistant editor and instructor of The Echo capstone course at UGA.
The event at the Oglethorpe County Library on Nov. 2 was meant to spark insightful discussions about community concerns and interests.
“Journalism has just been like, ‘Here's the news. Here you go,’” Bright said. “And I think we need to do a lot better job of saying, ‘What do you need to know about your communities? What are we not covering? What could we cover better?’”
Notecards and pens were passed out to all attendees encouraging them to brainstorm ideas. Tucker encouraged guests to talk about strengths, concerns and solutions they wished to see.
Residents shared wide-ranging ideas, including questions about school zone cameras, a desire for more resources for women, concerns about police-community engagement and thoughts about expanded transportation resources.
Others were interested in infrastructure upgrades.
“Broadband coverage would be excellent,” said Erin France, who owns Troublesome Creek Farm in Lexington. “Paired with that is telehealth, because a lot of people in rural areas are being pushed to telehealth. I refuse to do it because it’s too crazy out here with the broadband, but maybe there’s somebody who does it in Oglethorpe County — that would be good.”
Attendees were also provided an opportunity to connect with Echo and WUGA staff, and those leaders said hosting another listening event was a distinct possibility.
“I feel like now that we’ve had one, the people that were there will tell one more person,” Tucker said. “The more that people know that this is a set thing that The Echo does, the more people will come out and share their ideas.”
Despite conversations that often pointed to concerns about the county, there were also comments about its advantages and strengths, including its agricultural opportunities. Longtime resident Barbara Cabaniss mentioned unity as a strength.
“We’re a community that looks after each other; it’s a caring atmosphere,” she said. “The Echo helps to unify the county.”