I’m Tired of Hearing ‘It’s Just the Internet’
Look, I get it. The internet’s big. It’s fast. It’s everywhere. But honestly, that’s not an excuse for what’s happening to local news. I’ve been in this game for over 20 years, and I’m telling you, it’s getting worse. And it’s not just about us journalists losing our jobs. It’s about you, the reader, losing out too.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and this kid—let’s call him Marcus—told me, ‘Local news is dead. It’s all about the algorithms now.’ I asked him if he even knew what was happening in his own neighborhood. He just shrugged. Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But that’s the problem, isn’t it? We’re all so busy looking at what’s happening in the world that we forget to look at what’s happening right under our noses. And it’s not just the young ones. I had a colleague named Dave, a real old-timer, who told me he hadn’t read a local paper in years. ‘What’s the point?’ he said. ‘It’s all just crime and ads these days.’
But It’s Not All Bad, Right?
Okay, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic. There are still some great local news outlets out there. But they’re fighting an uphill battle. And it’s not just about money. It’s about commitment. It’s about people caring enough to pick up a paper or click on a link that’s not gonna show them a cat video.
I remember talking to a friend of mine, Sarah, over coffee at the place on 5th. She told me she’d stopped reading local news because it was always so negative. ‘I just can’t deal with all the bad news,’ she said. I get that. But honestly, that’s like saying you’re not gonna eat vegetables because they’re not candy. You need that stuff to stay healthy.
And look, I’m not saying local news is perfect. Far from it. But it’s important. It’s how we stay informed about what’s happening in our communities. It’s how we hold our local governments accountable. It’s how we connect with our neighbors.
So What Can We Do About It?
First of all, we need to support local news. That means buying a paper every once in a while. It means clicking on that community news update link instead of scrolling past it. It means having conversations with our friends and family about what’s happening in our neighborhoods.
But it’s not just about us, the consumers. It’s about the journalists too. We need to be better about what we’re putting out there. We need to be more than just crime and ads. We need to be telling the stories that matter. The stories that make a difference.
I’m not gonna sit here and tell you I have all the answers. I don’t. But I know this: we can’t just sit back and let local news die. We need to fight for it. We need to support it. We need to care about it.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about us. It’s about our communities. It’s about our neighbors. It’s about our future.
And honestly, that’s something worth fighting for.
Oh, and by the way, if you’re one of those people who thinks local news is irrelevant, I dare you to go a week without it. See how that works out for you.
About the Author
Jane Doe is a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in the news industry. She’s worked for major publications and has seen the industry change dramatically over the years. She’s passionate about local news and is committed to fighting for its survival. When she’s not editing, you can find her complaining about the state of the world on Twitter or trying to convince her cat to cuddle.
