Local News Quote Pool Gap

Pew finds local-journalist contact is stable but uneven, leaving education, income and community attachment tied to who enters local news sourcing.

1. Frame 1Pew says local news has a quote-pool gap: 23% of U.S. adults report contact, shaping whose public experience gets heard.
2. Frame 2A trend chart shows the gate stayed stable: 2016 was 26%, followed by 21%, 22% and then 23%.
3. Frame 3Education works like an access gate: 30% of college graduates report contact, compared with 17% with at most high school.
4. Frame 4Income filters who gets asked: 31% of upper-income adults report contact, versus 18% of lower-income adults.
5. Frame 5A community map adds another threshold: 34% of very attached residents report contact, versus 13% not at all attached.
6. Frame 6The sampling caveat limits the takeaway: journalists do not randomly sample residents, so opportunity can shape the quote pool.