A Media Insider’s Wish List for Saving Local Journalism

Abstract

This article underscores the importance of local investigative journalism and routine coverage for American democracy while acknowledging its current unsustainable financial model. Working from my experience as a newspaper editor and media columnist/public editor, I offer suggestions to improve the quality and content of local news. My suggestions include national legislation to support the sustainability of journalism, media literacy education for adults and youth, and subsidies to newsrooms via state universities.

Keywords

journalism sustainability act tax incentives local newspapers investigative journalism accountability journalism

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abernathy

Penelope Muse

Franklin

Tim

. 2022. The state of local news 2022: Expanding news deserts, growing gaps, emerging models. Evanston, IL: Local News Initiative. Available from localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu.

Mitchell

Jerry

. 2020. Race against time: A reporter reopens the unsolved murder cases of the civil rights era. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Sullivan

Margaret

. 2020. Ghosting the news: Local journalism and the crisis of American democracy. New York, NY: Columbia Global Reports.

Sullivan

Margaret

. 29 June 2022. Every week, two more newspapers close—and “news deserts” grow larger. Washington Post.