3 ms·
Matthew Yglesias wrote on Substack last week that this has completely changed and is no longer true. Because local newspapers no longer exist, our news consump
by Noumenon72 6y ago
Matthew Yglesias wrote on Substack last week that this has completely changed and is no longer true.
Because local newspapers no longer exist, our news consumption has shifted to large, national stories. I know 1000 times more about Trump and AOC than any official in my city precinct. Even when we know a local candidate well and know they bring home the bacon to our district, we often vote based on the national implications of the partisan conflict instead.
Yglesias closes by saying, "We need to adjust to a world where information dissemination is not limited by truck routes (this is a good thing!) and we are consequently better informed about bigger units rather than “closer” ones." He suggests that means consolidating levels of government and putting more power into accountable executives.
https://www.slowboring.com/p/local-news https://www.slowboring.com/p/local-news
- nine_k 6y agoIf you know a politician only from media, no matter local or global, you have already lost. I mean knowing an official by knowing what decisions (s)he has made in your local vicinity, which affected you personally. Or knowing by being neighbors. That is, somehow directly.
- Noumenon72 6y agoThe average American knows 600 people. This isn't a workable standard for any but the tiniest towns. I also question whether there's much chance of learning who made decisions that affected me personally other than through the media. I lived in a 10,000 person town from 2000 to 2015 and I was completely in the dark about any layer of government except when the mayor got caught drunk driving.