Columns Community

Editor’s column | Takeaways from our recent readership survey

An amazing 950 of you participated in the online survey we conducted in early March. That’s a huge number for our little community. 

First, thanks to everyone who answered the 10-minute survey, which we distributed via email and social media. Your feedback helps us improve how we serve you. 

Second, a huge thanks to GMA Research for conducting the survey and compiling the results.  

Survey says

What did the survey find? Mostly, that people like what we do.

One survey question asked for “any other comments or suggestions.” A majority of the responses were variations of “keep up the good work” and “thank you.” That’s gratifying!

Another common comment: “More articles!” 

We want that, too. I often tell people that Gig Harbor is a target-rich environment for news. We have more ideas for stories than we have money to pay our writers.

That’s where you come in.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Gig Harbor Now is a nonprofit publication that relies on community support to pay for our reporting. Donations from readers go toward paying for the coverage you’re asking for.

More than 60% of respondents said they have never donated to Gig Harbor Now. But 73% said they would. Turning some of those “woulds” into “dids” will go a long way toward addressing those requests for more coverage. 

So if you’re one of the many people whose comment was “more, please,” may I gently point you in the direction of our donate button? 

Fair criticisms 

Readers made many comments or requests that resonated with me. 

Several people said they wanted to see better coverage of Gig Harbor’s business community. Comings and goings of businesses, profiles on businesspeople, that sort of thing. You’re right, this is an area where we could do more. 

Many people asked for more multimedia content, including photo galleries, videos and podcasts. We’re working on this, slowly, this year. 

I’ve made an effort to take and post videos more often, including from U.S. Rep. Emily Randall’s Town Hall and from the April 5 protests in Gig Harbor. A Gig Harbor Now podcast has been a dream of mine for so long now that our staff jokes about it. Hopefully we can continue to make more progress on this.

Another big takeaway: Readers want more in-depth and investigative reporting. I appreciate the thirst for deeper journalism. It’s a fair criticism and we’ll try to do better. In the coming weeks, look for more in-depth pieces on local government by Carolyn Bick; on land-use and other subjects by Ted Kenney; and on education and schools issues by Christina T. Henry.

But, again, that’s the kind of journalism that costs the most to produce. So if you want more of that, and you can spare a few bucks, hit that donate button. 

Vince Dice

Vince Dice has been the editor of Gig Harbor Now since March 2022. A longtime local newspaper journalist, Dice worked in editing roles at the Kitsap Sun newspaper in Bremerton for 17 years and before that at the Central Kitsap Reporter in Silverdale. Dice lives in Bremerton with his son, Dean.