Blog #10

News Deserts

Its the 21st century, of course every person in the United States has access to vital news and information relating to their community...WRONG! Halle Nichols examined what this means for our nation's most vulnerable and why this occurs. 

Much of the United States still experiences what is referred to as a News Desert, a specified areas that is not reached by vital communications, whether that be local or larger scale news. These areas lack news coverage and communication leading to under education of major issues. This causes a domino effect and creates more misinformation. It would be inferred that the internet has helped solve this phenomenon but news deserts are still a major problem in the modern world and the internet contributes by killing paper media. The state of North Carolina has lost about 38% of news outlets. Guilford County has specifically lost: 5 newspapers, 3 weekly papers and 2 daily papers. 

News Deserts harm communities in many ways. When people do not have access to reliable, accurate, and up to date information, it causes harm to democracy as a whole. Lack of information creates uninformed voter biases and a decline in voter turn out. This is even more of a concern when the perspective of news
deserts disproportionately effects low income minority areas. 

What can we do?

ADAPT!

There is a low chance of comeback for the traditional paper newspaper circulation. There is average decrease in 2 local newspaper per week since 2004, and regardless of efforts made by non-profits and other organizations dedicated to fighting this problem, there will likely continue a steep decline. The only way to protect areas that lack news coverage, and help their communication efforts and news sharing, is to adapt to modern news styles. Journalists and members of news production teams must find ways to thrive regardless of their format. Many news sources that have thrived in modern media have revolutionized how people consume their daily news. For example receiving daily emails with short blasts of "what is happening in the world today" from New York Times, leaning into the nation's obsession with social media, or  local news sources recruiting free lance journalists, and amateurs journalists, to cover small stories that create an interest within community. (see my local news paper's digital adaptation majority ran by local amateurs).