FCC Reports Shows Dramatic Drop in Local News Coverage
It should surprise anyone … even with the alleged explosion in hyperlocal news coverage, there’s a dearth of watchdog journalism going on in America right now.
This … this worries me more than almost anything else about our country.
The report’s lead author, Steve Waldman, said the study found media variety and abundance. Broadcast outlets, cable networks, non-profit websites and other media ventures are offering consumers more news choices than ever.
But they are still not filling the journalism gap left by the contraction of newspapers, said Waldman, co-founder of the religion website Beliefnet.com and a former national editor at US News & World Report.
The quotes from Ken Paulson, president of the American Society of News Editors, sound – ironically and frighteningly – like statements from a PR professional, not a journalist.
The desire may be there. The resources are not. This, from a newsroom where there is no longer an education reporter – in a college town with 20,000 students.