In rural areas particularly, there are “ news deserts” where access to original, local, independent public affairs reporting has essentially vanished.īut there is an overdue urgency now about the task of combating disinformation and holding the government to account that I’ve never seen and that I could not have dreamed possible just 10 years ago.Īcross the globe, including the United States, a cynical disregard for democratic norms and naked appeals to authoritarianism is on the rise and gaining momentum. Seeing newspapers and broadcast outlets that once stood as titans of journalism now nearly enfeebled to the industry equivalent of hospice care is wrenching, as is the human toll paid by excellent journalists I have known who were discarded as collateral damage. In the second paragraph was Warner’s money quote: that local news outlets “keep our citizens informed, combat disinformation, and serve as a crucial check on our government institutions.”

The 338-word piece by Meghan McIntyre was rich with alarming statistics about the brutal declines local news organizations have suffered from interconnected societal, technological, and financial challenges. senator, Mark Warner, supporting a resolution that endorses the need for robust, independent local news organizations. My eye was drawn to a short story in the Virginia Mercury last week about the commonwealth’s senior U.S.

Richer than sin by meghan march