What Happened to Local News?

When local news outlets are bought out by a national media conglomerate, there are often staffing cuts. This means fewer local stories are covered. As a result, community members feel like they aren’t getting the coverage they want, and they stop subscribing to that outlet. In reaction to a decrease in subscriptions, the parent company cuts more jobs, which means even fewer reporters telling fewer stories of interest to locals. More people cancel their subscriptions, and so on in this bitter cycle.

Decisions made at the local level often have a more direct impact on someone's life than what happens on the state level or the federal level, so it’s critically important that citizens have access to this information. When news coverage shifts away from local reporting, it’s easy for someone’s attention to be diverted to what's happening on the state and federal level without realizing they don't know what’s happening in their own community.

Coverage of local events like school plays, sporting events, and service projects might not seem like “vital” news, but this type of reporting impacts a community’s sense of connection.

According to the Pew Research Center, the vast majority of U.S. adults want their local journalists to be a part of their community. Roughly 81% of those surveyed said it’s important for local journalists to be personally engaged in the community. When a media conglomerate owns a local outlet, it can result in fewer local reporters. Thus, news consumers may feel a loss of connection to their news outlets.

A decline in local news can have negative consequences. Inadequate local reporting has been linked to more corruption, less competitive elections, weaker municipal finances, and a prevalence of party-line politicians who don’t bring benefits back to their districts

Distrust in the media is high. Only 26% of Americans say they trust the news most of the time. But local reporting can be a way to humanize “the media” for community members; putting faces to names can build trust and encourage civic engagement. Studies show that 83% of people trust their local news in a way that they don't trust national news.

When there’s less local coverage, people are more likely to turn away from their local outlets because they feel there is nothing there for them. This can lead them to pursue alternative sources, which can be risky. A number of hyper-partisan organizations have emerged claiming they exist to fill the local news void when what they’re actually doing is amplifying specific political agenda; and this happens on both sides of the political spectrum.

When people lose access to local news, they may focus more on national issues that appear local. This can lead to conflicts within a community that did not originate there. For example, national coverage of education issues like banning books can be framed in a way that fires up residents who are concerned for their community, even when there is no such debate actually taking place in their school district.