“We Are the Final Cog in the Wheel of Democracy”: Disappearing Community Journalism in a Rural Region of the U.S. South

Abstract

Using surveys/interviews with 142 residents of 10 rural communities and in-depth interviews with 12 editors and publishers, we mapped the community journalism ecosystem in a sparsely populated region of about 40,000 square miles. Rural residents identified social media and word of mouth as primary sources for local news, while community editors/publishers reported lacking the financial and labor resources to provide more coverage and combat audiences’ reliance on sources without verification standards. They also reported (a) increasing self-censorship due to fear of alienating advertisers, sources, and audiences, and (b) rising mis/disinformation not only about national issues but also about local controversies.