Ocean State Media reporters, producers, editors and staff of all kinds descended on East Greenwich on Thursday as part of the Ocean State Media in Motion project.
The project will tour all 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island, with the goal of bringing people together, sparking thoughtful dialogue, and gathering real insight that helps shape reporting.
Ocean State Media politics reporter Ian Donnis was on the ground in East Greenwich, including at a community discussion about staying informed in the digital-social age, without getting overwhelmed.
“This was fascinating because this is kind of a broad issue that affects all of the country, but it hits locally,” Donnis told morning host Luis Hernandez. “And there was a bracing moment when one parent described how little kids are all facing their devices on the school bus after school, rather than conversing with one another.”
Other reporters polled locals at a coffee shop, met families at the Go Play indoor playground and asked for opinions from people shopping and selling on Main Street.
Donnis and Hernandez discussed some takeaways from Ocean State Media in Motion in East Greenwich.
Interview highlights
On the community discussion about staying informed in the digital age
Ian Donnis: This was fascinating because this is kind of a broad issue that affects all of the country, but it hits locally. And there was a bracing moment when one parent described how little kids are all facing their devices on the school bus after school rather than conversing with one another. For someone like me, that’s very different from the world I grew up in.
Another mom talked about how she tried to kind of (incentivize) her kid to say, “You can play games for an hour if you do your homework first.” And she found that he would rush through his homework and not really do it in a diligent or careful way. So it worked out better for this particular family, for the kid to get his hour of game time first, and then he’d be satisfied with that, and then do his homework.
And there was a very articulate high school student, a junior, I believe, who said that kids are happy to not have the distraction of electronic devices. And there’s a law taking effect in Rhode Island this year that in schools, students are supposed to not have access to their phones or other electronic devices during the school day. And this student said that she likes doing things on paper, and that would be a really welcome development.
On what he learned from local voters about the governor’s race
Donnis: I think we could agree that it’s still at an early stage and that if the election were held today, “undecided” would be the clear winner. But I did find a couple of people who were willing to share some thoughts…I think the main takeaway is that most voters haven’t really tuned in. A lot of people just said they’re not paying attention at this point. And that’s always a good reminder for political geeks like me who live, breathe, and sleep politics around the clock.
On why it’s important for Statehouse reporters to get out of the Statehouse
Donnis: Intellectually, I might understand that the average person does not pay as much attention to politics as I do. But when you try and get people to share their political views on Main Street, and maybe one person will talk with you for every 15 people you approach, it’s a clear reminder of the extent to which people are not really engaged in politics and see politics as something that’s separate from their lives. Even though the roads they drive on, the air they breathe, the water they drink are all political issues.
Ocean State Media in Motion is slated to visit Portsmouth on April 29.
