By: Monica Stevens

With over a quarter of the USA’s newspapers now out of business, preserving local journalism has never been so crucial. According to Le Monde, over 1,500 counties across the States only have one regional news source, often a weekly publication. Not by chance, in 2022, an average of two weekly newspapers had to close, and the situation kept worsening. 

While most people tend to remain indifferent to this phenomenon, it is only when it affects us personally that we suddenly realize local journalism’s importance in our communities. In this regard, Daniel Richardson, founder of Richardson Media Group, a company aiming at protecting small-town newspapers, declared: “A community newspaper is something that I think most communities take for granted, and you don’t think much about it until it’s gone.” But why is local journalism so important? 

Community Engagement 

With fewer and fewer local newspapers published daily, plenty of citizens are now completely unaware of the problems affecting their close surroundings. They are only informed about national and international issues. According to Daniel Richardson, this is extremely problematic as when citizens are unaware of the problems faced by their community, they cannot take action to solve them. 

A study by the Pew Research Center in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found that community engagement is closely related to local news consumption. In particular, the study showed that both those who regularly vote in local elections and those with close connections with their community are more likely to follow local news regularly. 

Preserving Democracy

Local newspapers are also fundamental for preserving democracy. “News organizations are critical to the health of any community,” said Danial Richardson. “Nobody else is covering news in a small town.” 

Unfortunately, it is now common for important events such as city council meetings, strikes, and local scandals to go uncovered. When this happens, democracy is in danger, as politicians are no longer held accountable for their actions. On top of this, local publications often report different political viewpoints and cover the many struggles minorities face that would otherwise go unnoticed. 

Cultural Documentation

Even though we rarely see it in these terms, a journalist’s job is also to conserve the memories of important events, practices, and traditions characterizing a community. Thanks to local publications, we were able to preserve most of the USA’s history throughout the last centuries. In this regard, local newspapers constitute a unique source of information as they reflect the period in which they were published, providing us with a truthful glimpse of society’s concerns, challenges, and general lifestyle. 

Summary

With over a quarter of U.S. newspapers now out of business, keeping local journalism alive has become essential. Daniel Richardson, the founder of Richardson Media Group, emphasizes that local newspapers foster network engagement by informing citizens about nearby problems, which is critical for democracy. Local journalism additionally files cultural records, retaining community memories and societal worries. Promoting local newspapers promises informed, engaged, and democratic groups, highlighting the need to guard those vital establishments from extinction.

Published by: Martin De Juan