The Drastic Impact On Communities When Local Newspapers Close

When a local newspaper is forced to reduce its reporting staff or shut down altogether, research shows there’s a huge impact on the community it serves. Often, voter participation goes down, while government borrowing goes up. To find out more about the connection between local newspapers and the democratic process, Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with Paul Myers, editor of the Sun-Gazette newspaper in Tulare County, Dympna Ugwu-Oju, editor of the Fresnoland Lab at the Fresno Bee, Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director at California Common Cause and Nora Benavidez, director of U.S. free expression programs with PEN America.