Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


The Strip Mining of the US News Industry

Rob Garver

   WASHINGTON - There is an oft-quoted line from Thomas Jefferson about
   the importance of a free press to the stability of the newly formed
   United States: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a
   government without newspapers or newspapers without a government," he
   wrote to a colleague, "I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the
   latter."

   Almost always, though, the words Jefferson wrote next are forgotten. He
   added, "But I should mean that every man should receive those papers &
   be capable of reading them."

   His insight was that a press free from government interference is a
   necessary condition for a healthy democracy, but not a sufficient one.
   A free press isn't very useful if nobody has access to relevant
   reporting on the issues that affect them.

   If Jefferson were able to look at the media landscape in his country
   today, particularly at the local level, he would almost certainly be
   worried.

   On the surface, it may look as though the average U.S. media consumer
   is awash in choices: websites, podcasts, cable and broadcast TV,
   satellite and over-the-air radio, and yes, even printed newspapers. But
   the reality is different.

   Consolidation

   News sources, particularly local ones, are increasingly controlled by a
   limited number of companies that have bought up smaller news
   organizations and consolidated them.

   This is perhaps most visible in the world of newspapers. Twenty percent
   of the newspapers that were active 15 years ago have been shut down,
   according to the [1]University of North Carolina, leaving hundreds of
   locales without a local paper.

References

   1. https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/expanding-news-desert/loss-of-local-news/

.