Student Voices: The Importance of Local Journalism in the Fight Against Disinformation
Illustration by Nora Fitzpatrick / West Potomac (Va.) The Wire
West Potomac Wire
Local journalism is a dying profession. Since the start of the 2000s over one-third of the country’s newspapers and two-thirds of its journalists have been lost according to a study from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
The majority of these newspapers lost are local papers geared towards smaller communities throughout the country. Of the 3,143 counties in America, 204 counties are without a local paper according to Forbes. These counties are known as “news deserts,” meaning they have no local newspaper and therefore a smaller choice in where they receive their news from.
In a world facing many divides, the importance of truth and knowledge has never been greater. With increasingly extremist politics, citizens who aren’t sure who to trust tend to look to major news sources: Fox News, The New York Times, and CNN. Without widespread access to local newspapers, many citizens seeking the truth become vulnerable to the very thing they fear: disinformation.
A NOTE FROM THE INTEGRITY PROJECT
This story was written by Nora Fitzpatrick, Editor-In-Chief of The Wire at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County, Va., part of an ongoing effort by The Integrity Project to include diverse voices in the fight against disinformation, including those of younger media consumers.
ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM THE INTEGRITY PROJECT
