I wonder if you can resonate with this experience? When you were a kid or maybe even today with your own family – someone does really well. They have a great Little League game, they make the honor roll at school, someone graduates or gets married – and it makes the local paper. Not only is there an article but sometimes there is also a picture. And, what happens? You or someone in your family cuts it out of the paper and proudly puts it right up on the refrigerator. If you can relate to this experience, you truly know the value of local news.
For those of you who are avid readers of the Sunshine Report and who follow our activities with the Sunshine Initiative know that much of my inspiration for both come from the experiences I had growing up in my hometown of Newport, NH. While some of my most fond memories happened right there in the Sunshine Town, there is one that stands out amongst the rest: the first time I was featured in the local paper. It was an incredibly formative moment, one where I felt pride, excitement, and joy all in one single moment. I felt like I was on top of the world.
I recently reflected on this moment with some friends and family, and it got me thinking about the importance of local news to our communities. As a young man, being able to read about local happenings from a local perspective, from elections to sports, gave me a sense of place at an early age that helped me feel like a member of a community that I wanted to actively participate in. Having a local news outlet helps build a sense of pride and responsibility within smaller communities. It both holds us accountable for our shortcomings and celebrates our victories.
Local news can be the catalyst for incredible change in smaller communities. Yet over the last few decades, there has been an enormous decline in the amount of local news outlets. With newsrooms being pressed for revenue, many local publications have been bought by larger entities who fold them into existing larger publications, have had to cut staff, or have closed altogether. And when local communities lack the ability to receive quality journalism, they become less valuable to the community. It’s a viscious cycle, one that even has impact on democracy itself, from weaker election turnout to fewer candidates running for local office. Not only that, but with the decline of local news outlets, it limits the number and variety of sources we can receive information from, increasing the polarization that’s unfortunately been undermining our political system.
The reality is that since the inception of the United States, local newspapers have played a vital role in both educating us and building a sense of community. After all, a free press is one of the foundations of our democracy. Not only that, a strong, healthy local media plays an important economic role as well. Local newspapers help connect businesses with local consumers, helping boost local economies, keeping food on the table and the lights on at home. Strong local journalism is a pillar of small-town America, and we must continue to be its champion. It helps create trust, accountability, and also a sense of pride, just as it did for me as a young boy. So, if you’ve been wondering on how to get more involved in your community, perhaps you can start simply by picking up your local paper.
