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Relief bill could save thousands of local news jobs
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Relief bill could save thousands of local news jobs

The relief bill in front of Congress includes a NewsGuild-supported provision that will expand Paycheck Protection Program loans to local newsrooms across the country. “Local news is facing an extinction-level event and this is an important step to help stem the layoffs and closures of newsrooms across the country,” NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss said Monday.

Relief bill could save thousands of local news jobs

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Can Journalism Be Saved?

It is equally hard to exaggerate how destructive this decline has been to the fabric and functioning of American democracy. One study found that in communities where newspapers close and there are no reporters keeping an eye on the decisions of local officials, municipal government wages, deficits, and borrowing costs rise. Local news outlets tend to be far more trusted by readers on both sides of the political aisle than national publications. When they disappear, citizens turn to national news sources, often partisan ones, or rely on social media for information. The result is more party-line voting and small-town residents mobilizing against mythical antifa infiltrations. Indeed, as this magazine has reported, the rise of authoritarian politics in America correlates to an alarming degree with the waning of local news.

Can Journalism Be Saved?

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A contentious local election revealed an information gap. High school reporters stepped up to fill it.
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A contentious local election revealed an information gap. High school reporters stepped up to fill it.

After an ex-journalist moved back to his hometown and found that the local paper had closed, he created his own, staffing it mostly with teenagers.

A contentious local election revealed an information gap. High school reporters stepped up to fill it.