Why Local News Matters
News is not just an industry. Local news plays a crucial role in how communities participate with the people and organizations that affect their lives every day. The decline of local news isn’t unique to the Pacific Northwest, where Oregon newspapers have cut 75% of their jobs in the past 25 years. Nationally, half of of the country’s counties have little or no local news. Here’s why that matters:
Civic engagement drops.Â
Fewer people run for office.
Voter turnout falls.
Fewer people join civic groups and organizations.
Fewer people contact their elected officials.
Polarization increases.
People shift their attention to national news.
Split-ticket voting drops.
Misinformation and bias grows.
Consumption goes up, but quality, independent, nonpartisan content goes down.
Partisan and special-interest outlets grow. People equate a drop in local coverage with media bias.
Inequity increases.
Remaining newsrooms focus on wealthier communities, where people can afford to pay for news and advertisers will pay to reach them.
Local media outlets that traditionally served rural, BIPOC or immigrant communities are struggling the most.
Less local news = less local connection and opportunities = less power for already low-power people.
Government becomes less efficient.
The cost of government borrowing goes up.
The number and salaries of government employees goes up.
Police clear fewer violent crimes.
Less federal money gets directed to local communities.
Sources:
More than half of U.S. Counties have no access of very limited access to local news
Oregon newspapers have lost three-quarters of their jobs since 2001
Who Watches the Watchmen? Local News and Police Behavior in the United States
Press Coverage and Political Accountability
Newspaper Closures Polarize Voting Behavior
COVID-19 Is Ravaging Local Newspapers, Making it Easier for Misinformation to Spread
Dead Newspapers and Citizens’ Civic Engagement
LOSING THE NEWS The Decimation of Local Journalism and the Search for Solutions
Thanks to Delaware Journalism Initiative for national research and graphics
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