Look, I get it. We’re all busy. There’s too much information out there. But honestly, when people say ‘nobody reads local news,’ it drives me up the wall. I’ve been in this business for over 20 years, and I’ve seen firsthand how vital local journalism is. Let me tell you why.<\/p>\n
Back in 2005, I was working at the Las Vegas Sun. A colleague named Dave\u2014let’s call him Dave\u2014came to me with a tip about a small community near Boulder City. There was a chemical leak at a local plant, and the big networks weren’t touching it. We ran the story. The next day, the city council held an emergency meeting. That’s the power of local news.<\/p>\n
So, no, not everyone reads it. But the people who need it, really need it.<\/p>\n
I hear you. ‘Why bother with local news when I can just Google it?’ First off, Google isn’t gonna tell you about the pothole on your street that’s been there for three months. And it’s definitely not gonna cover the school board meeting where they’re deciding whether to cut funding for the arts program your kid’s in.<\/p>\n
And don’t even get me started on social media. Algorithms are great for showing you cat videos, but they’re terrible at telling you what’s actually happening in your community. You know the saying, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’? That’s not just a clich\u00e9. It’s a reality. And local news is often the only place where you’ll find the stories that don’t bleed but still matter.<\/p>\n
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw a viral post about a local business struggling to stay afloat? Exactly. But that’s the kinda stuff that keeps communities going.<\/p>\n
I hear you. ‘Why bother with local news when I can just Google it?’ First off, Google isn’t gonna tell you about the pothole on your street that’s been there for three months. And it’s definitely not gonna cover the school board meeting where they’re deciding whether to cut funding for the arts program your kid’s in.<\/p>\n
And don’t even get started on social media. Algorithms are great for showing you cat videos, but they’re terrible at telling you what’s actually happening in your community. You know the saying, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’? That’s not just a clich\u00e9. It’s a reality. And local news is often the only place where you’ll find the stories that don’t bleed but still matter.<\/p>\n
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw a viral post about a local business struggling to stay afloat? Exactly. But that’s the kinda stuff that keeps communities going.<\/p>\n
I hear you. ‘Why bother with local news when I can just Google it?’ First off, Google isn’t gonna tell you about the pothole on your street that’s been there for three months. And it’s definitely not gonna cover the school board meeting where they’re deciding whether to cut funding for the arts program your kid’s in.<\/p>\n
And don’t even get started on social media. Algorithms are great for showing you cat videos, but they’re terrible at telling you what’s actually happening in your community. You know the saying, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’? That’s not just a clich\u00e9. It’s a reality. And local news is often the only place where you’ll find the stories that don’t bleed but still matter.<\/p>\n
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw a viral post about a local business struggling to stay afloat? Exactly. But that’s the kinda stuff that keeps communities going.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you about Marcus. He’s a reporter I worked with back in the day. Marcus covered a story about a small town in Nevada that was losing its only hospital. The big networks didn’t care. But Marcus did. He spent weeks talking to the locals, the doctors, the nurses. He wrote a series of articles that got the attention of state legislators. And guess what? They stepped in and saved the hospital.<\/p>\n
That’s the kinda impact local news can have. It’s not just about reporting the facts. It’s about giving a voice to the people who need it most. And honestly, that’s something you’re not gonna find on Twitter or Facebook.<\/p>\n
I hear you. ‘Why bother with local news when I can just Google it?’ First off, Google isn’t gonna tell you about the pothole on your street that’s been there for three months. And it’s definitely not gonna cover the school board meeting where they’re deciding whether to cut funding for the arts program your kid’s in.<\/p>\n
And don’t even get started on social media. Algorithms are great for showing you cat videos, but they’re terrible at telling you what’s actually happening in your community. You know the saying, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’? That’s not just a clich\u00e9. It’s a reality. And local news is often the only place where you’ll find the stories that don’t bleed but still matter.<\/p>\n
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw a viral post about a local business struggling to stay afloat? Exactly. But that’s the kinda stuff that keeps communities going.<\/p>\n
I hear you. ‘Why bother with local news when I can just Google it?’ First off, Google isn’t gonna tell you about the pothole on your street that’s been there for three months. And it’s definitely not gonna cover the school board meeting where they’re deciding whether to cut funding for the arts program your kid’s in.<\/p>\n
And don’t even get started on social media. Algorithms are great for showing you cat videos, but they’re terrible at telling you what’s actually happening in your community. You know the saying, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’? That’s not just a clich\u00e9. It’s a reality. And local news is often the only place where you’ll find the stories that don’t bleed but still matter.<\/p>\n
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you saw a viral post about a local business struggling to stay afloat? Exactly. But that’s the kinda stuff that keeps communities going.<\/p>\n