Glaring evidence points to a broken news ecosystem. The Pew Research Center said newsroom employment across the U.S. has fallen 26% since 2008. The pandemic further complicated the problem and caused more than 90 newsrooms to close, according to the Poynter Institute, a non-partisan organization dedicated to teaching and supporting journalists. Over the last two years, more than a dozen papers that were locally owned in north central Ohio were sold, merged or closed.
As more newsrooms close around the U.S., communities are left without critical information to navigate their lives. A lack of information occurs around local schools, city and county government, planning boards, etc. Transparency and accountability are lost. Voter participation often goes down.
Richland Source, Ashland Source and Knox Pages exist to inform, inspire and foster engagement within the communities we serve.
Become a member at SourceMembers.com.