We are in very real danger of losing the press as an overseer of local government, which will have major detrimental effects long-term for so many communities, since local government is so much more directly impactful on our lives than the federal government is.
- I've found myself often becoming informed directly from my municipality (Facebook posts, press releases on their website...) rather than news reporting about the municipality. While I feel I'm engaged enough to notice when something seems off, the lack of critical reporting is undoubtedly detrimental.
- AstroTurf faux-local sites with political agendas are springing up to fill the void: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/10...
To whom does one blow the whistle about corruption at City Hall? To the local Sinclair afilliate?
I suspect NPR covers that for a lot of people; it might be correlated with why some politicians are so eager to defund them completely.