How one NPR station is trying to win conservative listeners – by listening

WITF is trying to engage with an ideologically diverse range of listeners through in-person events, on-air conversations, and a weekly newsletter that pulls back the curtain on journalistic ethics and decision-making.

The station stands out amid a growing movement nationwide, as traditional outlets grapple with both a crisis of trust in news and fewer resources to produce thoughtful, thorough coverage.

WITF News and Brews event organizer Jonathan Brown realized conservatives were outnumbered at the station's events.

He resolved to be even more engaged in the process and do my best to “provide my point of view and legitimately listen” Part of the challenge is Republican frustration with the station’s “accountability policy” In the wake of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol , the station attributed the assault to then-President Donald Trump 's “election-fraud lie”.

WITF is trying to rebuild trust with listening sessions for poll workers in Pennsylvania .

Poll workers say they are dealing with a crisis of trust in their field.

As people trust institutions less, they’re going to trust news less, says Wilkie .

"We serve the public we have, not the public that we wish we had".