SCETV Visits Voorhees, Hosts Town Hall to Strengthen Local News

South Carolina ETV and Public Radio brought its statewide Local News Outreach Tour to Voorhees University on November 14, convening a community mixer, a student journalism workshop and a town hall forum aimed at identifying local news needs and boosting civic participation. The evening, focused on the counties of Allendale, Barnwell and Bamberg, combined a 5 to 6 p.m. reception and resource fair with a 6 to 7 30 p.m. moderated discussion between community members and SCETV journalists.

The program positioned youth voices and local institutions at the center of the conversation. Voorhees students who took part in a prior SCETV led workshop shared insights about learning interviewing techniques, fact checking and multimedia storytelling and described their experience producing news packages on issues that matter to their campus and surrounding communities. The presence of students underscored the tour goal of elevating HBCU perspectives and training new contributors to regional news coverage.

The town hall forum addressed a wide range of topics that residents identified as priorities. Economic opportunity, education, HBCUs, local agriculture, healthcare, broadband and jobs were the focus of the moderated discussion. Organizers also devoted a segment to election information and voter awareness, signaling an emphasis on timely civic education ahead of upcoming local and state contests. Audience members were invited to pose questions and offer ideas for future coverage, a process intended to help SCETV tailor reporting to gaps in information and community concerns.

The event also functioned as a civic resource moment. The early reception included light refreshments and a resource fair that connected attendees with local organizations. The outreach tour model pairs community forums with student training and civic engagement programming in each stop, a structure designed to strengthen public trust in local journalism while expanding the pool of people who can document and convey local issues.

For Allendale County residents the initiative has practical implications. Improved local reporting on broadband, healthcare and jobs can inform municipal planning, influence service delivery and assist residents navigating public programs. The election information component may also affect voter participation by clarifying registration rules and polling logistics in counties that historically face information and resource disparities.

SCETV posted the full press release and additional background on SCETV.org. The agency and its partners framed the tour as a two way exchange, with the stated aim of amplifying community voices and shaping future coverage to reflect local priorities.