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I agree that those are great sources for news, but a major shortcoming of those types of programs is coverage of local news. We are in very real danger of losi

I agree that those are great sources for news, but a major shortcoming of those types of programs is coverage of local news. We are in very real danger of losing the press as an overseer of local government, which will have major detrimental effects long-term for so many communities, since local government is so much more directly impactful on our lives than the federal government is.

organsnyder 7y ago
A couple of impacts I've noticed due to the decline of local journalism: - I've found myself often becoming informed directly from my municipality (Facebook posts, press releases on their website...) rather than news reporting about the municipality. While I feel I'm engaged enough to notice when something seems off, the lack of critical reporting is undoubtedly detrimental. - AstroTurf faux-local sites with political agendas are springing up to fill the void: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/10/21/lansing-sun-new-sites-michigan-local-news-outlets/3984689002/ https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/10...
- trentlott 7y ago
  So who covers local intrigue, then? To whom does one blow the whistle about corruption at City Hall? To the local Sinclair afilliate? I suspect NPR covers that for a lot of people; it might be correlated with why some politicians are so eager to defund them completely.
  - Mathnerd314 7y ago
    At least in my town we have some tabloid newspapers, funded mostly by restaurant/concert reviews, but that also publish letters every issue. Most letters are minor but occasionally they do a full-page one about corruption or similar. They also have freelance writers who publish the results of their FOIA requests.
  - DrScump 7y ago
    In SV, Metro (free, weekly) prints some quality journalism from San Jose Inside. Jennifer Wadsworth writes some very thorough pieces.
bart_spoon 7y ago
You may be surprised. I found a podcast covering stories in my midsized, Midwestern suburb by a local reporter that is really solid. Finding these types of programs are hard, but I suspect more people have local news podcasts than you'd think.

organsnyder 7y ago

A couple of impacts I've noticed due to the decline of local journalism: - I've found myself often becoming informed directly from my municipality (Facebook posts, press releases on their website...) rather than news reporting about the municipality. While I feel I'm engaged enough to notice when something seems off, the lack of critical reporting is undoubtedly detrimental. - AstroTurf faux-local sites with political agendas are springing up to fill the void: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/10/21/lansing-sun-new-sites-michigan-local-news-outlets/3984689002/ https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/10...

trentlott 7y ago
So who covers local intrigue, then? To whom does one blow the whistle about corruption at City Hall? To the local Sinclair afilliate? I suspect NPR covers that for a lot of people; it might be correlated with why some politicians are so eager to defund them completely.
- Mathnerd314 7y ago
  At least in my town we have some tabloid newspapers, funded mostly by restaurant/concert reviews, but that also publish letters every issue. Most letters are minor but occasionally they do a full-page one about corruption or similar. They also have freelance writers who publish the results of their FOIA requests.
- DrScump 7y ago
  In SV, Metro (free, weekly) prints some quality journalism from San Jose Inside. Jennifer Wadsworth writes some very thorough pieces.

bart_spoon 7y ago

You may be surprised. I found a podcast covering stories in my midsized, Midwestern suburb by a local reporter that is really solid. Finding these types of programs are hard, but I suspect more people have local news podcasts than you'd think.