Adam Symson on local journalism
From Come Have Coffee with Adam Symson · · WCPO 9
“We're actually putting our reporters in the neighborhoods that they're meant to cover, and those reporters are really meant to be the intersection of connection for consumers. And we're getting a lot of great feedback across the country. I'm so glad now there's somebody in my community who's reporting on the jobs program or the technical college and isn't just there on our worst day, they're also there on our best days. While I think it's critically important for us to be there for the breaking news coverage and to cover the investigative journalism and to uncover the wrongdoing, there's a lot right going on in these communities. I want to feel better about where I live, not worse.”
On , Adam Symson, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at EW SCRIPPS -CL A, spoke about local journalism during Come Have Coffee with Adam Symson on WCPO 9.
About Adam Symson
In a June 2026 interview on "Come Have Coffee with Michelle," Adam Symson described the current media environment as being "in a twister," citing "a level of exhilaration when there's that much chaos and that much change but there's also concern." He said that "digital fragmentation has upended the traditional role of media" and that people are "going to lots of different platforms that didn't exist" when he worked in a newsroom. Symson discussed Scripps' strategy of placing reporters in specific neighborhoods to serve as "the intersection of connection for consumers," adding that the company is receiving positive feedback on this approach. He also highlighted sports programming as a unifying force, saying that during football season, "everybody's rooting for the Bengals" and that Scripps' platform can "provide that to the broadest possible audience." Symson also shared personal anecdotes during the interview. He noted that he had passed the physical fitness, math, and psychological tests to join the FBI but ultimately decided it was not the right path. He recounted being present at the Washington Correspondents Dinner when shots were fired, stating that he smelled gunpowder and that a Secret Service agent directed him and others to safety. Reflecting on the value of local media, Symson said that such conversations allow people to "better understand each other" and that journalists can "encourage dialogue."