Key Posts- News Deserts

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What exactly are news deserts? No, they have nothing to do with the sandy and barren deserts we are familiar with. News deserts, according to UNC-Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media, are "communities, either rural or urban, with limited access to the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level". This raises a lot of problems within communities and the local newspaper industries. There is an issue in supply because of local papers cutting back the amount of coverage and there is less of a demand for physical newspapers in most areas. The increase in news deserts in the United States has brought great business to online news sources. However, because local newspapers rely on subscriptions and ad revenue, they have been struggling. Revenue has decreased from $70 billion in 2000 to $15 billion in 2018.

    Not only do news deserts negatively impact the local newspaper business, but they also can have a huge impact on society as a whole. Al Cross, Director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky said, "a good local newspaper shows you how you're related to people you may not know you're related to". Without local newspapers in certain areas, there is a lack of this connection and uniqueness within the news. More than 65 million Americans live in a county with one newspaper or less. There has also been a statement from Jonathan Mehta Stein that there is evidence that shows that fewer newspapers lead to a decrease in civic participation, less informed voting, and lower voter turnout.

https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/
This link from UNC-Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media allows you to see if you live in a news desert. You can also explore other areas and see where the most impacted areas are. 


    The increase in news deserts can definitely have a different impact among different demographics. I think the biggest impacts of news deserts hit the hardest towards older generations. Most of the older generations are not as familiar with online news and have been very dependent on local newspapers. Not only is it more convenient for them because they are most familiar with physical newspapers, but it may also be a sentimental and emotional feeling to lose that form of news. Younger generations are definitely not as affected by this change because some either never grew up with newspapers or were too young to understand the impacts of them. 
    The increase in news deserts may also greatly affect the poor. People who are less fortunate may not be able to afford access to the internet, computers, tablets, etc. Without this connection to the online world, there is a lack of resources that allow them to learn about the current news. For the rich and middle class who have internet access, the news deserts probably do not impact them as much because it is very easy and convenient to find news online. 

    I personally do not feel that impacted by news deserts. I remember growing up getting a newspaper but because I was young, I never really gave it any thought or attention. For some families, the local newspaper used to be a form of connection and a way of bringing them together in the morning to talk about current events and news. I feel as though that connection has been lost today and families will continue to independently find news online. 
    The increase in news deserts will just continue to force my generation to find news and information online. Most of the time, finding news online is very easy and convenient. However, my generation now has to filter through so much information that we have to determine what is credible and unbiased. There are a lot of cites that give information, however, they could be run by anyone and we don't always know where this information is coming from. 




http://www.mediafiledc.com/what-are-local-news-deserts-and-how-can-we-fix-them/
https://www.cislm.org/what-exactly-is-a-news-desert/









 Key Post- News Deserts

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