Los Angeles County supervisors considered a motion on Nov. 10 to study the feasibility of increasing advertising and public outreach efforts through local, ethnic and community media outlets in an effort to better communicate with the county’s diverse residents, while also supporting smaller journalism organizations.
“Effective government communication requires more than producing information. It requires reaching residents through the sources they trust, in the languages they understand and in the communities where they live,” according to the motion by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn.
“Strengthening coordination with local, ethnic, community and hyperlocal media organizations can help the county better reach residents who may not be effectively served through traditional government communications channels,” they added.
According to the motion, New York City adopted a policy five years ago requiring that at least 50 percent of its advertising funds go to community and ethnic media. The decision followed an analysis that found most of the city’s advertising money went to larger, mainstream outlets. Only 4 percent of the funds were spent on Spanish-language publications, despite Latinos representing nearly 30 percent of the city’s population, according to the analysis.
“Los Angeles County has an opportunity to consider whether a similar structure could work here,” the motion states. “With more than 10 million residents across 88 cities and unincorporated areas, the county must communicate with residents across a vast and diverse geographic area. County departments regularly communicate with residents about health care, public benefits, housing, immigration services, public safety, disaster response and other essential services.
“Local, ethnic, community and hyperlocal media can play an important role in ensuring this information reaches residents who rely on neighborhood-based and multilingual sources. A countywide framework could provide departments with a more coordinated way to identify and engage these outlets while improving the county’s ability to understand how its communications and advertising resources are being used. It could also help ensure that public information reaches the communities it is intended to serve,” the motion adds.
The motion calls for the county CEO to report back in 120 days on the feasibility of creating a framework for increasing advertising and outreach funding through localized media outlets.
