More than half of United States counties have either one or no local news sources remaining, according to a 2023 study conducted at the Medill School of Journalism, and that number is only continuing to grow.
Local media is imperative to a successful democracy because informed journalists can explain difficult language in proposed legislation and expose local issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Following misinformation regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield Ohio, Springfield City Council meetings were covered only on a local level; the national news disproved claims of pets being eaten, but much of the national coverage stopped there. In this situation, the local news played a different and arguably more important role.
The parents of Aiden Clark, who was killed in a school bus crash by a Haitian driver in 2023, spoke at a Springfield City Council meeting, according to Dayton news channel WDTN-TV. They, along with other concerned citizens, hoped people would stop using his death for political gain, and they spoke out against the misinformation being spread about Haitian people.
Springfield City Council meetings were mostly covered by local news channels, which is vital when the national news fails to tell more personal stories.
In Columbus, local news sources are actively proving the importance of their existence. For example, in early February, the Columbus Dispatch uncovered that Delaware County Republican Board of Elections nominee Melanie Leneghan did not actually live in Delaware, among other controversies.
Local news has also reported in detail about a leaked Columbus School Board memo related to future school closings. As a result of significant coverage, three School Board members are not seeking re-election, and the positions have opened to several new applicants. National news sources would never cover something of this nature; however, local coverage of Ohio’s largest school district is important and has led to considerable change.
Despite this, a lack of viewership, readership and support will quickly cause Ohio news outlets to become a more significant part of the average 2.5 newspapers that close each week, according to the Medill study.
Local news sources also provide easily accessible information on important but often lesser known topics, such as how to register to vote. Similarly, local newspapers can afford to dedicate time, money and space on a page to explanations of how primary elections work, for example.
This is extremely important, especially when ballots include difficult wording. For example, in 2023, Ohio voters in favor of abortion rights had to first vote “no” on a procedural change to the state constitution, and then vote “yes” on a second, independent change in supporting abortion rights. At an even more local level, Bexley Schools struggled last November to make it clear to voters that Issue 36, the operational levy, had nothing to do with the purchase of the Cassady Avenue land. Local media is imperative in clarifying nuances like this.
Local newspapers and other local media are increasingly important in today’s democracy, especially under new national leadership. The advent of better technology allows misinformation to spread quickly, especially on social media, so people must turn toward their local papers for guidance.
