Outlier Media has a new and improved text service aiming to help residents get answers to essential questions. 

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media Sarah Alvarez joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss how the TXT Outlier service is helping address information gaps about housing, utilities, and other critical community issues. 

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Alvarez says while traditional news outlets across various mediums provide an essential service to the community, “radio segments and news articles are not always the most useful way to get information to people.”

“…and they’re certainly not personalized enough for people who are in some kind of information crisis,” she said. “So what would it look like, I thought, for a news service to really try to fill information and accountability gaps, and what would it take to do that well?”

The service — first launched in 2016 — allows residents to text Outlier keywords for additional information on related topics; or to talk directly with a reporter about a specific issue they might be facing.

Detroiters can take advantage of the service by texting “Detroit” to 67485. For more information, visit outliermedia.org/txt-outlier.

Use the audio player above to hear the full interview with Sarah Alvarez, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media, at the 25:23 mark.

More headlines from The Metro on Sept. 11, 2024: 

• About a week ago, Gen Z Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost toured Detroit and the state of Michigan to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris. During that time, Producer Sam Corey spoke with the Florida representative about the biggest concerns facing young people, and what will turn them out to vote in November.
• Pollution from trucks and factories — coupled with poverty — led the city to be named the third-worst place to live for people with asthma in a new report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Allergy expert and native Detroiter Dr. Garen Wolff joined the show to talk about the report’s findings and what Detroiters can do to improve their air quality.
• The Funky Ferndale Art Fair is taking place Sept. 20-22. Director of the fair Mark Loeb joined the show to talk about what makes it unique.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

A recent survey by the University of Michigan and Outlier Media shows many Detroiters won’t vote this year because they don’t trust the political system. 

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The survey, conducted by U-M’s Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) and supported by U-M Poverty Solutions, showed Latino Detroiters were more likely to stay away from the polls on Election Day, with 24% of respondents saying they’re not likely to vote. That compares to 8% of white residents and 11% of Black Detroiters. 

Voters under 35 were about twice as likely as voters 35 and over to suggest they were unlikely to vote in the general elections in November, the survey showed.

However, DMACS data manager Yucheng Fan says we shouldn’t be viewing those who say they’re unlikely to vote as disengaged.

“The survey shows many of these Detroit residents are involved in other nonelectoral civic activities and following the news,” she said. “But for a variety of reasons, voting in November is not a priority for them.”

The survey was administered from April 1 to April 12, 2024, and captures the views of a representative sample of 1,100 Detroit residents.

“We have a survey in the field now asking Detroiters again about their intention to vote, and it will be interesting to see if a different Democratic presidential candidate mobilizes more voters,” said Mara Ostfeld, a faculty lead for the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study in a statement.

Other headlines for Wednesday, July 31, 2024: 

• Detroit City Council has approved Phase One of a its neighborhood solar initiative, despite objections by Council President Mary Sheffield that the arrays could be placed in better locations than residential areas.
• Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Detroit next week, marking her first campaign stop in Michigan since President Biden ended his reelection bid.
• The family of Duke Fakir is providing an opportunity for Detroit music fans to honor his life at a viewing set for noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at Hitsville; followed by a celebration of life service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in northwest Detroit.
• Tigers fans will once again be able to watch the team play on Comcast cable systems following the resolution of a contract dispute between Comcast and Diamond Sports.
• Pre-season injuries continue to hurt the Detroit Lions, as defensive end John Cominsky suffered a knee injury on Tuesday during a padded practice. Kicker Michael Badgley received a season-ending injury last week while getting ready for practice. ESPN reports that he suffered a torn hamstring.   
• Don’t forget that early voting is underway throughout Michigan. You can cast your ballot at any of the 14 early voting centers in Detroit through Sunday.  Primary Election Day is next Tuesday, August 6.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.