Local news still matters! I’ve been screaming this from the rooftops for years now. A new study says audiences “still crave local news”. Sure, print newspapers are struggling, but journalists still want to create stories in their communities and radio stations have been trying to capitalize on localism for years with digital, streaming and podcasting. Heck, they’re even building their own news sites to complement their news talk stations.
It was quite a big election night across the country last week, and in more than just the 4 big over-publicized races many people watched. But there were judgeships, legislative seats, school board and public service commission seats that you were not reading about on Yahoo or MSN or hearing about on CNN or Fox. Local newspapers and local radio stations prove your tax dollars are about giving back to your community. And, also according to the Poynter Institute, when you hear about fake news or people not trusting the news media, it’s generally national news. But the information site says people do generally trust local news because it’s more relevant to their lives. Especially in an emergency or catastrophe, that’s where local media shines, because they can lead you to where you need to go to fill up on supplies or where to get information when it’s time to vote. (Of note, the major media outlets do not even have White House or Pentagon credentials for the most part, so we need to depend on our community.)
One major newspaper though, USA Today has rebranded to showcase that they are committed to fact-based news. (They are no longer just Gannett; they are USA Today Company.) They own 200 newspapers in the country, including local papers in Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; and the Detroit Free Press in Detroit, Michigan.
