Facebook Won’t Cut It – March 2

Has Facebook and other social media successfully replaced local print news coverage, to keep the public informed on local government?  My answer is no.

We no longer have regular and consistent coverage of local government from the print media. Coverage of what Alex S. Jones calls the “iron core” of news, including news of the regular work of local government is greatly reduced, as compared to a generation ago.  This iron core means news, not stories of weekend getaways, movies, diet tips, or what to do with your IRA.  We may see newspaper coverage of local government after something blows up (better late than never I guess), such as what happened over plans for Lakeside Park. But good luck trying to find any articles covering the weekly grind of local government meetings.

I’m not blaming the newspapers for this loss of coverage.   Print news does not bring in advertising revenue as it once did.   Without that revenue, print newspaper employment fell 40% between 2007 and 2015, and I’m willing to bet that this trend has continued. Many communities no longer have print media coverage of any kind, due to newspapers closing down.

Needless to say, you don’t see newsrooms like this one from 1947 in our now digital world.

…

What is the consequence of this change? Sad to say, I have to agree with this quote:

“In any event, though, the impact of all these cuts is clear. Local newspapers are … basically little machines that spit out healthier democracies. Weaken your local newspaper and you’ll probably see lower voter turnout, more government corruption, less-engaged citizens, fewer candidates for local office, and more partisan voting.”

_{Article in NiemanLab (10/23/2020)  by Joshua Benton online at:  https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/10/as-they-shrink-are-local-newspapers-protecting-their-iron-core-of-local-government-coverage-this-paper-says-no/}

The newspapers do the best they can with their limited staff.  Radio stations do a great job to make up for this loss of coverage.  In Fond du Lac city staff and department heads have a wonderful online presence describing events and their work.   City staff knows that all city records are public.   That’s why you see on the city’s website detailed information on city meetings, agendas, budgets and reports, and I am grateful for the hard work of city staff who make this information accessible.   Video of City Council meetings is available.  And, people debate local issues on Facebook.

But without that “little machine” of the print press covering every meeting, and the “letters to the editor” that used to follow, issues get missed, and local government bodies go about their business with the public less informed than they should be. 

I don’t have the answer to solve this problem.   But if elected to the City Council, I will make an extra effort to promote release of information to all forms of media  at the earliest date possible, so that the public can “chime in” and be heard before the city does something affecting us all.

_{Additional Source: Alex S. Jones, Losing the News: The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy (2009).}

_{The photo shows a 1947 USDA newsroom.  Credit Wikipedia Commons.}