Why local news outlets may be among this pandemic’s victims — from medium.com by Sue Ellen Christian
The healthy functioning of our communities depends on the survival of our local news systems. Here’s how to start resuscitating close-to-home journalism, now.
Excerpt:
Just as we thought it couldn’t get worse for the survival of local news outlets, it has. Covid-19 is attacking what was left of the advertising base for local news outlets. Local retailers are the foundational advertisers for online news outlets. With shelter-in-place orders enacted throughout the country, retailers are struggling to pay the rent; low on their priorities for financial solvency is buying ads in a local newspaper, online news outlet, local television news show or community magazine.
Furthermore, those same retailers, such as book stores and restaurants, where single-sale print copies of local magazines and newspapers are often available, aren’t open, further hurting the already meager revenue streams of local news providers.
New York has the Times. Los Angeles has its Times. The nation’s capital has the Post. We in smaller and mid-size communities not only deserve our close-to-home updates and information, our local democracies rely on it.
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Daily digital and print news outlets in particular offer citizens a public service: News about the schools our children attend, how our taxes are spent, what is happening in court systems and park districts and local elections. They fight for public documents to be released and public meetings to remain open — to be sure, all vital parts to democracy. But these outlets also offer our communities a reflection of ourselves.