Deserting the Deserts?

     And now for the news: _________ Oh, sorry. Your newspaper went out of business. 

     A total of 127 newspapers closed in the past year. More than 7,000 went out of business in 2022 and 2023, some 2,000 jobs included. Since 2005, 3,300 newspapers have gone under or been consolidated. 

     As a journalism grad who began adult life working for my hometown paper, yours truly is disappointed. Our founders knew the news must be truthful, which is why they gave news people total freedom. It's called the "forth estate."

     Of course, mankind is untruthful, in printed news and television, and government doesn't dare penalize them. Despite declining trust, a majority of adults still see local news as somewhat important. 

     About 55 million Americans have no or maybe one source of local news. Over 200 counties have no local media. Many communities don't have the population, or the advertisers needed to make it work. They are news deserts, and if a news source once existed, it has deserted. If there's a positive for no news, nobody lies to them. 

      In populated areas, many Americans turn to websites and apps instead of print or radio. Many live in heavily concentrated, high-income counties. Last year, there was an increase of 81 digital (email) news sites, more than 30 of them former newspapers. 

     How do we know most voters receive correct information? 

     If I was starting all over, there might not be a journalism job for me in my hometown. Might have had to go to inner-city Pittsburgh. 

            Jimmy