Local news informs residents about important local events, government actions, and community concerns. This information can impact civic participation and encourage citizens to take action in their communities. In addition, it fosters a sense of community identity by covering stories that resonate with residents’ values and culture.
Local news is distinct from national or state news because it focuses on a specific geographic area. This type of journalism can be disseminated through a variety of media platforms, including newspapers, radio broadcasts, and local television shows.
The American Journalism Project is working to advance a sustainable model for local news by funding existing nonprofit local journalism and supporting mission-based nonprofit newsrooms in developing revenue-generating capacity. The organization also works to build a movement of support for locally-focused, independent local news.
Local journalism can be a powerful tool to inform and engage communities, but it faces significant challenges in today’s media landscape. As audiences shift to digital platforms, traditional local media organizations face financial strain. This can lead to reduced staff sizes and a narrower content focus.
Despite these challenges, there are innovative ways to keep local news alive and well. The Boyle Heights Beat, for example, is a hyper-local journalism project that trains high school journalists to cover their own community in the heart of East LA. Their work subverts the “murders and festivals” syndrome, and the team of student reporters is complemented by a core team of professional journalists who edit and train them on-the-job.