Jan 01 Watch 7:42 Local newsrooms across the country are closing. Here’s why that matters Across the country, local newspapers are printing fewer pages, less frequently -- and sometimes collapsing entirely. Recent studies paint a grim picture of the decline in local newspapers and the impact it has on American politics. Jeffrey Brown reports and… Continue watching
Dec 15 Watch 5:03 Growing local news deserts endanger democracy, study finds By PBS NewsHour Over the last 15 years, local newspapers across the U.S. have lost more than $35 billion in advertising revenue and half of their staffs, while at least 2,000 news outlets have shuttered during that time, according to a new study… Continue watching
Apr 02 Watch 4:48 Viral video raises worry over Sinclair’s political messaging inside local news By PBS News Hour A viral video compilation of local TV anchors is raising new concerns about the way Sinclair Broadcast Group mixes news with conservative, partisan political opinion. And while it already reaches over a third of homes across the nation, the country's… Continue watching
Nov 16 Watch 4:17 How new FCC rules could affect your local news By PBS News Hour Longstanding rules that prevented an individual or company from owning broadcast stations and newspapers in the same local market have been abandoned by the FCC. The sweeping changes come amid wider transformations in the media and digital landscape, and have… Continue watching
Oct 10 Watch 8:57 How Sinclair Broadcasting puts a partisan tilt on trusted local news By PBS News Hour The country’s largest owner of local TV stations, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which reaches over a third of homes across the nation, wants to get even bigger by merging with the Tribune Media Company. But Sinclair is raising concerns among… Continue watching
Dec 08 Patchwork Nation: Media Landscape Shifts Online in a Wired Town If there is a community well positioned for the demise of a true local daily, it may be the heavily wired, tech-savvy college town of Ann Arbor, Mich. Continue reading
Dec 17 Watch FCC Weighs Changing Media ‘Cross-ownership’ Rules The FCC will vote Tuesday on whether media companies should be permitted to own both a newspaper and broadcast station in the same market. Jeffrey Brown reports on the pending "cross-ownership" proposal, and then media experts discuss its potential impact. Continue watching