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What Happens to Democracy When Local News Dries Up
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What Happens to Democracy When Local News Dries Up

The end result is disasterous

Margaret Sullivan
The Washington Post, 2021
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Overview
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Recommendation

The Great Recession, the digital revolution and COVID-19 took a terrible toll on local newspapers across the United States. Beyond cities and their suburbs, much of America is now a “news desert,” lacking meaningful journalism on local issues, reports Margaret Sullivan in The Washington Post. Although local papers’ role as watchdogs and reliable reporters is crucial, their viability has become increasingly tenuous. Some innovative alternatives are promising, Sullivan says, if the public will accept them.

Take-Aways

  • Local newspapers in the United States were in distress. COVID-19 made their situation worse.
  • The loss of local news reporting leads to a lack of accountability for local governments, institutions and individuals.
  • Political polarization and civic disengagement grow in the absence of robust local news coverage.

About the Author

Margaret Sullivan, media columnist for The Washington Post, previously served as public editor for The New York Times and the editor and vice-president of The Buffalo News.

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