The Demise of Local Newspapers and American Democracy

"Beyond Your News Feed: Understanding Contemporary Politics" is a podcast by the Department of Political Science. This episode of Beyond Your News Feed explores the fate of local news. Dr. Andrea McDonnell and Dr. Matt Guardino, both associate professors of political science, join host Dr. William Hudson, professor of political science, for a conversation about the dire straits of local newspapers and the impact on American democracy. McDonnell also serves as director of PC's new communications minor.

Over the past couple of decades, local newspapers across the country have begun to disappear. Battered by huge revenue losses from declining advertising and circulation, newspaper owners have sought to reduce costs in a variety of ways, including selling newspaper buildings, outsourcing printing and other tasks, but mostly by firing reporters — depriving the paper of the very journalism that makes the paper valuable. This strategy, obviously, has meant newspapers that are thinner, with less news for their readers, and less able to monitor what is happening in the local community. The obvious result is even more declines in circulation and revenues. This decline in local news has affected every city in America and some of its most venerable, prize-winning papers such as the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, and The Providence Journal. McDonnell and Guardino explain why local newspapers are in trouble, what effect this has on democracy and local citizens, and what might be done to restore vibrant local newspapers.