Does local news even matter?

Join area media representatives for a community forum on Thu., Nov. 16, as they respond to the question: “Does Local News Even Matter?”
Join area media representatives for a community forum on Thu., Nov. 16, as they respond to the question: “Does Local News Even Matter?”

The panelists will discuss how the local news crisis is playing out in Clark County and what it means for the future of local news in Southwest Washington

VANCOUVER – Join area media representatives for a community forum on Thu., Nov. 16, as they respond to the question: “Does Local News Even Matter?” 

Also participating will be Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, University of Oregon Agora Journalism Center’s Regina G. Lawrence and Len Reed, formerly an editor at The Oregonian, and now a faculty member at Washington State University-Vancouver. 

The panelists will discuss how the local news crisis is playing out in Clark County and what it means for the future of local news in Southwest Washington. Statewide, a million subscribers to local newspapers have been lost while papers have cut two-thirds of their news staffs and 20 papers have closed altogether. 

The free event begins at 7 p.m. and will be in the Columbia Room of the Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St., Vancouver. Seating is limited and registration is required. https://fvrl.librarymarket.com/does-local-news-even-matter-community-forum.

For those needing closed-caption viewing or who are unable to attend in person, Clark/Vancouver Television – CVTV.org — will air the event live as well as make it available as a recording. It also will be streamed live on the League of Women Voters of Clark County Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LWVClarkCounty.

The League of Women Voters of Washington recently completed an extensive study of local newspapers in the Evergreen state titled “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy.” A free PDF of the study is available here. It is also available as a softback at cost for $9.52 on Amazon and as an electronic book for $1.99. Details about the League’s study are available at lwvwa.org/local-news.

Information provided by League of Women Voters of Clark County.


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3 Comments

  1. Anna Miller

    I don’t even have to go to the forum to know some of what will be said. Internet news, blogs, podcasts, videos, twitter-face are the main reasons the old media (newspapers) is declining and well, declining. That is part of it, to be sure. But there is something you will likely never hear from these “new makers”. (Notice I didn’t say news reporters. I think you know where I’m going with this). Polls show that people don’t trust them. Yep, FAKE NEWS. There, I said it.

    Reply
  2. LewWaters

    From personal experience, efforts in local news by blogs and citizen efforts only matter if they meet the approval of the far right extremists that infiltrated and now control the Clark County Republican Party.

    Those extremists are single handidly responsible for several people that once engaged local mainstream media to walk away and let chips fall where they may.

    Reply
    1. Carol

      The Columbian Newspaper was written for you Mr. Waters. It is liberal slanted and more for your liking. Obama passed a bill that it is ok to do FAKE news. Blame him. There are some rich elite socialist/communists in control of the news. Reporters are not free to report the news correctly.

      Reply

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