In recent decades, turnout in US presidential elections has soared, education levels have hit historic highs, and the internet has made information more accessible than ever. Yet over that same period, Americans have grown less engaged with local politics and elections. Drawing on detailed analysis of fifteen years of reporting in over 200 local newspapers, along with election returns, surveys, and interviews with journalists, this study shows that the demise of local journalism has played a key role in the decline of civic engagement. As struggling newspapers have slashed staff, they have dramatically cut their coverage of mayors, city halls, school boards, county commissions, and virtually every aspect of local government. In turn, fewer Americans now know who their local elected officials are, and turnout in local elections has plummeted. To reverse this trend and preserve democratic accountability in our communities, the local news industry must be reinvigorated - and soon.
Author(s): Danny Hayes; Jennifer L. Lawless
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 232
City: Cambridge
Cover
Half-title
Series information
Title page
Copyright information
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
1 The Local Political Engagement Puzzle
Local Political Engagement and Its Downward Slide
Why the Decline of Newspapers Matters and How to Prove It
Documenting the Decline in Local News
Establishing a Relationship between Local News and Citizen Engagement
Reinvigorating Citizen Interest in Local News
What Happens If We Lose Local News
2 The Great Gutting of US Newspapers
The Rise and Fall of US Newspapers
Tracking Local News Coverage over Time
Sample of Daily Newspapers
Content Analysis of News Coverage
The Catastrophic Loss of Local News Reporting
Can Local TV and Internet Start-Ups Fill the Void?
Local TV
Local News Start-Ups
Conclusion
3 Where Local News Has Suffered Most
The Local News Crisis at Big and Small Newspapers
The News Hole Shrinks, Especially in Major Dailies
Cuts to Local Politics Are Severe, Especially at the Smallest Papers
The Types of Local Coverage That Got the Ax
School Board and County Government Coverage Are Cut Disproportionately
Fewer Reporters Means Less Schools Coverage
As Circulation Drops, County Coverage Loses Value
Quality over Quantity?
Conclusion
4 As Local News Goes, So Goes Political Engagement
Why Not Everyone Blames Local News for the Decline in Engagement
Local Newspaper Reading and Local Political Engagement
Turnout in Mayoral Elections
Interest in Local Government and Americans' Online Searches
Knowledge and Participation in US House Elections
Tracking the Decline in Citizen Engagement in US House Elections
Conclusion
5 Everyone Loses When Local News Declines
Whose Engagement Declines When Local News Disappears?
Political Interest and Local News Consumption
Different Communities, Similar Declines in Engagement
Without News, Citizens of All Kinds Disengage
Conclusion
6 Saving Local News
The Pressing Problem of Weak Consumer Demand
A New Approach to Increasing Consumer Demand for Local News
Testing the Argument: An Experimental Approach
George Washington University Politics Poll
Democratic Panel Survey
Election Day Exit Poll Experiments
Closing the Generation Gap in Local News Interest
Conclusion
7 Local News and American Democracy
Less News, Less Accountability
Less News, a Less Influential Public
More Demand, More Democracy
Appendices
Appendix A Interviews with Reporters and Editors at Local Newspapers
Appendix B Staffing Data at Regional Newspapers
Appendix C Newspaper Sampling for Local Politics Content Analysis
Appendix D Newspapers Included in the Local Politics Content Analysis
Appendix E Content Analysis of Local News Coverage
Local Politics Coverage
Other Topics
News Hole
Reliability and Accuracy of Measures
Appendix F Content Analysis of TV News Coverage
Appendix G Analysis of Internet Start-Ups
Appendix H The Cooperative Congressional Election Study Data, 2016-2019
Measures of Political Engagement: 2016-2019
Appendix I Mayoral Election Turnout Data
Appendix J Google Trends Data
Appendix K Citizen Engagement in Congressional Elections
US House Election Content Analysis
The 2010 CCES and 2010-2014 CCES Panel Study
Appendix L Arlington and Charlottesville Exit Polls
Protocol
Questionnaire
Arlington County Exit Poll, November 6, 2018
City of Charlottesville Exit Poll, November 4, 2019
Sample
References
Index
