EOTO- News Deserts

     When was the last time you, personally, read the local newspaper? What about your parents? I bet if it were 10-20 years ago, most of you would be thinking very recently.  New York Times describes a news desert as communities lacking a news source that provides meaningful and trustworthy local reporting on health, government, and the environment. With so many opinions in his world, who do we trust? This is where the crisis begins, and where information can be misconstrued for the worse. 

News Deserts in the U.S

Online sources for information started in the early 2000s, which shifted people from looking at their daily newspapers to keeping up with the mainstream channels being broadcasted all over the country on the TV, the web, or social media. Local channels were not making enough money due to the decrease in viewers, which put a lot of companies out of business, as their frequent viewers and readers strayed elsewhere.

 Based on the diffusion of innovation, I can assume the critical mass phase for local news was right before 2004 when around 85% of the world had easy access to local news outlets. It waS at its peak, but the shift from paper to online became increasingly prevalent. 2004 comes around and people are ditching their local community sources for larger production streams. About 70% of newspapers have gone out of business, since 2004.  A more recent study done in 2018 revealed that well over 1300 communities have lost local coverage in the US., leaving many communities in isolation. 

Diffusion of Innovations 

A video uploaded on youtube explains what a new desert is and the importance of informing people on this current, growing issue. It gives a quick rundown on how rural and urban cities around the nation have to stay cautious online and make sure we engage with the right sources. While we have been so busy with online sources, the local, unbiased sources are dying out each day. 

A recent study revealed that two or more local coverings are constantly disappearing every week, skyrocketing the number more and more each month. The art of journalism is being neglected by our communities, which is really hurting us socially. The lack of reliable news sources is leading to a division between uneducated and educated people. We have to spread awareness of new deserts to be able to combat its percussions. Increasing everyone's knowledge is the only way we can slow down the number of communities that lack sufficient news, and we can actively raise awareness of this nationwide crisis.

A Newspaper Box 

     In this day and age when a lot of broadcasted information is false, it is easy for people to get a false sense of what is really happening in the world. Today, local news is in its saturation phase, as there is an influx of news sources out there, especially on the internet that covers almost any topic you could think of. The internet homes a majority of biased information, spreading all kinds of fake news. If this trend continues, then the critical journalism that we have appreciated and admired for so long will diminish completely.