Even those who give The Columbian only a cursory glance have learned in the past week that the Vancouver City Council is considering bringing e-scooters to the city, that a popular downtown restaurant is moving to The Waterfront Vancouver, and that an independent group is examining the Vancouver Police Department’s use of force.
Earth-shattering stories? Pulitzer winners? Probably not. But they represent the kind of local stories a newspaper covers every day — stories that impact the lives of residents. They also represent the kind of local news that fewer and fewer Americans are receiving in their communities.
President Trump’s frequent harangues criticizing the media typically are aimed at national outlets. And while those outbursts belittle the First Amendment, they ignore what is happening from town to town throughout the country and how our democracy is under attack.
Since 2004, more than 1,800 American newspapers have closed. From 2008 to 2018, newsroom employment fell from 71,000 to 38,000. In many parts of the country, news deserts have developed that leave residents without local news sources.
As researchers from the University of North Carolina reported last year: “The stakes are high. Our sense of community and our trust in democracy at all levels suffer when journalism is lost or diminished. … The fate of communities across the country — and of grassroots democracy itself — is linked to the vitality of local journalism.”
In Clark County, The Columbian has been “independent and locally owned since 1890.” It says so at the top of the front page every day. Such independence and local ownership is essential to a thriving and well-informed community. The Campbell family is proud to publish The Columbian and is working hard to ensure it will continue into the next generation, and we thank readers who strive to be part of the solution by purchasing our product.
While various websites can tell you about the latest debates in Congress or, if you care, the shenanigans of the Kardashians, only The Columbian informs readers about what is happening in the Yacolt City Council and the work of our congressional representative.
Obviously, The Columbian has a self-interest in reminding readers of the importance of local news. But a couple recent stories have brought the issue to front of mind.
Prominent among them is that the nation’s two largest newspaper chains, GateHouse Media and Gannett, are poised to merge. More than 250 communities around the country will end up with papers more concerned about cutting costs and serving shareholders than they are with serving readers. The companies plan to slash annual newspaper spending by $115 million — on top of severe cuts in recent years.
As The Seattle Times reports, former FCC commissioner Michael Copps said: “I don’t see a bigger danger to the country than what’s happening to our news and information, our civic dialogue. You reach a point, if you lack a real vigorous civic dialogue, where self-government cannot be successfully maintained. I think we’re skating perilously close to that.”
Studies have demonstrated that the loss of local newspapers often lead to issues such as increased government corruption, lower voter turnout and fewer candidates on the ballot. Those problems are not caused by the lack of local news, but they represent the diminished engagement that accompanies it.
Our democracy is under attack on many fronts, both foreign and domestic. Local newspapers are one of the most important weapons for protecting it.
