Today is the first annual Local News Day in the US (April 9th) and Non-Obvious Company is signed on as a partner and supporter. If you’re a longtime reader of this newsletter, you know that I’m a big advocate for the importance of journalism in our modern world (not be confused with opinion journalism). Local news is a sadly shrinking part of the information landscape and it desperately needs our support to survive.
Here are three questions that local news helps to answer and why it should matter to you:
- What’s happening in your area? Your local publications are the ones that are often most in tune to local events, places to go and also local legislation that’s likely to affect your life but that’s mostly ignored by other news media.
- What does the news mean for you? Whether it’s local or state level legislation or the local impact of federal announcements, or just giving you the weather, local news breaks down what the big picture means for your life.
- Who are the winners and losers? Like most good journalism, local news can help you understand both sides of an issue by focusing on the all-important question behind a story … who’s winning and who’s losing?
Even though Local News Day is today, there’s still time to sign up as a sponsor or an individual supporter. Better yet, use the map to find and support the local news sources near you (if you’re based in the US).