Local newspapers were never perfect, but also never gave the pretense that they were. They could sometimes reflect community prejudices, or cozy up to authorities they should have challenged. But the social costs of losing local coverage genuinely rooted in communities is profound.Local news organizations encourage people to use businesses, go to theatres or join campaigning groups. They inform people about rights and services. They promote accountability and democratic oversight – even more important when power is devolving. But they also sustain communities in less tangible ways. They make people feel part of society. They allow them to assess what they read in the context of their own experience, and encourage them to see news as a source of practical and helpful information, rather than a matter of theoretical discussion and emotional reaction. Margaret Sullivan, a US media critic, warned that their erosion is a danger to democracy itself. It allows disinformation and emotive political rhetoric detached from fact to flourish. Disinformation is the easiest thing to find on the internet.
My personal choice for news is local news for most things. After that its a weight and balance time to look at major news sources where there are people trying to make a living which depends on an audience and a good share of the ratings. Most of them believe that sensationalizing a story is the best way to draw an audience. And, for many, truth is not the most important thing if a lie will get them more traffic which can revert to more money in their pockets.
These kinds of resources can lead us through many "Max Headroom" moments. ("Max Headroom" was a pre-internet 1985 movie which to some degree became a prophetic insight in what was to come). I remember watching it on a rented VHS on my first "high tech" VHS player and thinking how weird it would be if this really happened...but I could see some possibilities.
Today I have the ability to watch literally thousands of movies at the flick of a remote without having to go to the Video Rental store. But, also, I have almost that many sources available for news and it has many many trails.
