The fact is, huge swaths of this country have become news deserts. We have lost more than a third of our newspapers and two-thirds of our journalists in the past two decades. And increasingly, the papers that remain are being bought up by billionaires, corporations and private equity firms more interested in cutting costs than serving communities.

The fact is, huge swaths of this country have become news deserts. We have lost more than a third of our newspapers and two-thirds of our journalists in the past two decades. And increasingly, the papers that remain are being bought up by billionaires, corporations and private equity firms more interested in cutting costs than serving communities.

The fact is, more than 50% of U.S. counties no longer have local news resources. Why does that matter? Because citizens no longer know what is going on in their own city hall or school board, and local voices no longer have a platform. Local news is essential to our democracy. It crushes political polarization and holds government accountable.

Without credible resources, cable news and social media fill that void, spreading disinformation that misinforms, distorts and caters to extremes. Fake news is rampant, and our trust has been lost. When even a formerly well-respected newspaper like The Washington Post goes from the motto “Democracy dies in darkness” to refusing to publish an opinion page with views that differ from those of its owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, the editorial policy has clearly been tainted.

What can we do? We do have tools to fight this barrage of BS. If you are lucky enough to still have access to a good local newspaper, please subscribe, support and read! When you are consuming news online, opt for in-depth articles, rather than doom-scrolling headlines and blurbs or, just as bad, reading AI summaries.

Now more than ever we need to be a discerning audience. Look for credible sources! Reward quality independent journalism and investigative integrity with your subscription or donation. Because the real fact of the matter is, now more than ever, facts matter!

Liz Flynt
Publisher