Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Matthew Busch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
"A majority of residents, particularly those that are millennial or Gen Z, aren't watching you Russ, I'm sorry."
ā Mayor Justin Bibb, joking with WKYC's Russ Mitchell at the City Club last month.
The city of Cleveland is getting in on the local influencer action.
State of play: Mayor Justin Bibb spoke to Russ Mitchell about the role of journalism in civic life during a City Club event May 27 sponsored by the Press Club of Cleveland.
What they're saying: Bibb said he directs his communications staff to engage "nontraditional media" alongside legacy publications and TV stations in order to get his administration's message out to the maximum number of people.
He said the reality is younger residents consume virtually all of their local news on Instagram and TikTok and he has done targeted outreach with influencer accounts like I'm From Cleveland and Cleveland Vibes.
By the numbers: When Mitchell followed up, Bibb estimated he spends 60% of his press work with nontraditional media and 40% traditional.
