Tell Albany it’s time to support local journalism

It all seems simple enough. Folded paper covered with words, photographs, advertising and color.

Every week, you open your edition of the Herald, ready to catch up on everything you need to know in your community. Whether it’s some exciting new project taken on by your local lawmakers, or how our great schools are funded, or even some of the personal stories that touch your heart, you can’t imagine a world without your local newspaper.

And you don’t want to imagine a world without your local newspaper.

But local news is at risk. The number of newsrooms across the country has been cut in half since 2004, and more than 2,000 newspapers have closed — including nearly half of the weekly papers in New York state.

That has led to the rise of “news deserts” — areas in which there is little to no local newspaper coverage. These are communities just like this one, where everything from civic engagement, to public health and safety, to the survival of local businesses and community organizations is under significant threat.

These deserts are also where extreme partisanship and mistrust have grown considerably. A 2020 study by the Pew Research Center found that Americans who get most of their news on social media are less likely to get the facts about the coronavirus and politics, and more likely to hear unproven claims.

News deserts also lead to higher taxes, since bond rating agencies realize that, without a newspaper “watchdog,” a community is more likely to experience fraud, waste and abuse.

Trust in news is revitalized by ensuring that there are professional journalists everywhere. Especially in our own communities. When residents like you see reporters covering education board meetings, asking questions of local elected officials and interviewing community members about their opinions on matters of public interest, there is a reinforcement of the

Letters

The president doesn’t get a ‘break,’ Jerry

To the Editor:

I have always thought of Jerry Kremer as an intelligent and honest politician, but his column “It’s time to give Joe Biden a break” (March 2-8) was clearly misguided. I’m an independent with no party affiliation. I consider myself a moderate, and I voted for Biden, but I don’t feel that