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Local news is an essential lever to a healthy democracy; it helps communities understand what’s at stake in local elections, equips them to get involved in the political process by voting, contacting officials and running for office, reduces political polarization, and holds public officials accountable.
- Strong Local Journalism = More People Turning Out to vote.
- Weak Local Journalism = Fewer People vote.
- What’s on The Horizon For Journalism in Our Democracy?
The amount of local political coverage correlates with increased voter turnout.Researchers in Denmark found that “local news media coverage has a positive effect on voter turnout, but only if the n...
Voters in districts with less campaign coverage had a harder time evaluating candidates and reported they were less likely to vote.Jennifer L. Lawless and Danny Hayes used congressional districts a...
These findings call us to take even more seriously the erosion of people’s access to news and information. The faltering of newspapers, the consolidation of TV and radio, and the rising power of social media platforms are not just commercial issues driven by the market; they are democratic issues with profound implications for our communities. We h...
Dec 1, 2019 · Just as all politics is local, all news that matters is ultimately local. Readers of local newspapers are residents not only of a county, but also of a region, a state and a nation. Strong news organizations put into local context issues that may seem to be national or regional ones, such as health care, gun control, or the opioid crisis.
May 7, 2024 · Good news first: Americans (still) believe local news matters. Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults say that local news outlets “are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community,” including 44% who say they’re “extremely” or “very” important.
Dec 15, 2021 · In that same time, numerous studies have demonstrated the democratic benefits of local news reporting on civic action—among them, that local newsrooms help reduce government corruption, increase the responsiveness of elected officials to their constituents, and encourage public participation in local politics. This isn’t purely a matter of ...
May 7, 2024 · About seven-in-ten Americans say their local journalists are doing a good job of reporting news accurately (71%) and covering the most important stories and issues (68%). People are modestly less likely to believe their local news media are performing well at being transparent about their reporting (63%) and keeping an eye on local political ...
People also ask
Why is local news important?
What role do local news publications play?
Can media policy protect the future of local journalism?
Do newspapers influence local elections?
Apr 20, 2023 · This paper plays out against a backdrop of continued closures and diminished local news reporting across much of the United States. It explores the role that media policy can and should play in supporting local journalism. In examining this topic, we investigate three fundamental questions: What is local media policy?
