VOICES: Trust is earned story by story, conversation by conversation

In a time when headlines often feel more like battle lines, local public media is helping communities find common ground. At ThinkTV, our staff comes to work every day with a simple but essential mission: to strengthen, educate and engage the communities we serve. That commitment led to the creation of Brick By Brick, our locally produced multiplatform initiative rooted in solutions journalism. Through broadcast and on-demand video episodes, podcasts, and digital articles, it reports on the complex issues shaping our region and just as importantly, highlights what’s working and why.

Hyperpartisanship might sound like a distant, political buzzword, something confined to Washington, D.C. or your Aunt Shirley’s social media feed. But its effects are real, felt in our neighborhoods, schools, public spaces, and yes, even in the content we consume. The good news is, it’s harder for divisive rhetoric and misinformation to spread when authentic, local conversations are happening. And that’s where public media comes in.

ExploreVOICES: One small step toward bridging the divide in Dayton

Free from commercial advertising and corporate influence, ThinkTV and public media stations nationwide can take on important questions others can’t – or won’t – address, with the care and nuance they deserve. Brick By Brick embodies that charge. The first season’s broadcasts and podcasts focused exclusively on affordable housing and community development, often starting work where the comment sections on most stories leave off. Where else but public media can you devote an entire season – nearly 20 hours – to topics like housing choice vouchers, right to counsel in evictions, predictive analytics, adaptive reuse, homelessness, and even 3D-printed homes? And this program doesn’t cherry-pick residents’ stories to score points. It prominently features voices from city planners, landlords, public officials, preservationists, developers and more. Because there’s more than one side to a brick wall.

In a fragmented media landscape, we need multiple voices and reliable, trusted places for them to come together. Hyperpartisanship has now seeped into conversations about public health, education, housing, and community development – the very issues Brick By Brick continues to explore. Combating this requires a healthy mix of crowdsourced, on-the-ground reporting and high-quality, accountable journalism. Social media platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram can surface important voices and breaking news — popular memes consistently create valuable dialogues — but those conversations need to be paired with reporting that provides context, verification and perspective. Public media and programs like Brick By Brick help bridge that gap, offering both reflection and depth.

ExploreVOICES: Local journalism is our best defense against polarization

According to a 2024 Proof Insights survey, public media remains America’s most trusted institution, second only to the military. I see the reason for that trust every day in our newsroom and in the dedication and hard work of the Brick By Brick team. Each episode, podcast and article is built on that foundation, because at our station, trust isn’t assumed. It’s earned, story by story, conversation by conversation, and yes, brick by brick.

We invite you to watch, listen, and take part in all of this. Because building a stronger, more connected community isn’t a one-time effort. It happens together, one story at a time. Learn more at thinktv.org/brick-by-brick/

Colin Scianamblo is the Chief Content Officer for ThinkTV.

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About the Author

Colin Scianamblo