Local news is about community and civic life, creating a shared understanding within a community and strengthening social bonds. Despite the sweeping changes in our media landscape, local journalism remains critical to our society and economy. Its success is a matter of survival, evolution, and relevance.
Unlike national and international news, local news typically has a very specific audience in a defined geographic area. The most familiar example is a local television newscast or newspaper. Depending on the country and its media laws, these can be standalone newscasts or segments that air attached to network morning and evening newscasts. Local newspapers operate a bit differently, as their audiences are not limited to broadcast market areas (the size of which is determined by the geographic reach of a television signal).
Community engagement is an important function of local news that can be achieved by featuring diverse voices and perspectives in storytelling. It can also be accomplished by partnering with universities for research and training, as well as through philanthropic and non-profit funding models that place value on community service and public interest journalism.
Academic research has found that people are more likely to trust local news sources. This is because they perceive them as being close to them and sharing their values and experiences. In the current environment of distrust and hyper-partisanship, a strong local news presence can help to counteract misinformation by reinforcing the importance of facts and promoting a healthy discussion of issues.
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