A new analysis from the Washington Post offers a grim assessment of the future of local news; at least local news delivered by traditional daily newspapers.
The article is written by Margaret Sullivan, a media columnist for the Post who has written a book titled: Ghosting the News: Local News and the Crisis of American Democracy. In her reporting, Sullivan cites the role of hedge fund investors, like Alden Global Capital, the owner of Tribune Publishing, in the gutting of local newsrooms.
Meanwhile, this Laureler is offering a different take.
Yes, it is true that local newspapers appear to be on the decline, but at the same time digital newsletters, podcasts and video streaming are on the rise as preferred systems for the delivery of news to consumers who want information on their timetable and anywhere they happen to be.
In recent months, we have reported that The Atlantic has now invested in the newsletter marketplace by offering nine new email newsletters. Last month Lulu Garcia Navarro left NPR to start a new podcast for the New York Times, which has made a significant investment in podcasting. And Tuesday it was announced another well-known NPR name, Noel King, is leaving the network to start a podcast for Vox Media.
While local news has its challenges, perhaps it is not always the case that the loss of a newspaper means the death of local news. Maybe it is being slowly reinvented.
