We’ve often considered the state of local journalism in this newsletter. This weekend, the Washington Post published an opinion piece on the issue called “Even $500 million isn’t enough to save local journalism.”
The dollar figure refers to the announcement by 22 donor organizations, including the Knight Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, that they are teaming up to provide more than $500 million to boost local news over five years — an effort called Press Forward.
The need is undeniable. According to Penny Abernathy at Northwestern, newspapers are closing at an average rate of more than two per week, and since 2005, more than one-quarter of U.S. newspapers have vanished.
According to her research, “The contraction has led to the proliferation of ‘news deserts’ — there are 200 counties, home to 70 million people, with no newspaper.”
These are some of the consequences:
Lower voter turnout.
Less political competition.
Declining civic engagement.
The rise of disinformation and conspiracy theories.
The erosion of public trust in government.
The overall decline of democracy.
To this I would add, the emergence of a Zombie Army, tragically, that supports an authoritarian for president.
HEADLINES:
Ukraine targets a key Crimean city a day after striking Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters (AP)
Biden to supply Kyiv with long-range ATACMS missiles after months of lobbying (FT)
Menendez Accused of Brazen Bribery Plot, Taking Cash and Gold (NYT)
House Republicans eye long-term funding without deal yet to avert shutdown (WP)
Biden to walk the picket line in Michigan to support UAW strikers (CNN)
Progress in Hollywood Writers’ Strike Negotiations, but No Deal Yet (NYT)
The benefits of Afghanistan’s mineral riches may not be so forthcoming (Al Jazeera)
India stops new visas for Canadians (Reuters)
Even $500 million isn’t enough to save local journalism (WP)
Scientists built this listening network to detect nuclear bomb tests. It found blue whales instead (BBC)
Misinformation research is buckling under GOP legal attacks (WP)
Cyndi Lauper Slams ‘Senile’ Rolling Stone Founder Jann Wenner (Daily Beast)
Unusual ‘prehistoric’ creature thought for decades to be extinct miraculously surges back: ‘Incredibly significant’ (Yahoo)
Biologists in slow and steady race to help North America’s largest and rarest tortoise species (AP)
Man Has No Idea What To Do With Good Mood (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment