Is There a Future for Local Journalism?

Here are more insights from our CAHSS News conversation with Deputy Opinion Editor and Columnist for the “Washington Post” David Von Drehle and “Wall Street Journal” Live Journalism News Editor Sara Castellanos, ahead of their Estlow and Margolin masterclasses and lectures. 

How do you view the state of journalism, media and communications including the demise of local journalism? 

Castellanos: The demise of local journalism is sad and underscores the importance of investing in local media and its role in fostering the next generation of talent in journalism. It also underscores the importance of trying to communicate to people — journalists and regular citizens as well—about the value of local journalism and journalism in general.

Von Drehle: Local journalism is the hardest hit institution by this digital and social media revolution and it’s going to be the most difficult to reconstruct. Old local newspapers were not trying to create one thing for everybody but to reach a lot of interest groups. You had a sports section for people who really cared about sports, a crossword puzzle for people who wanted that, some recipes for people who cooked. Very few people wanted to read everything in the newspaper, but it was inexpensive, delivered to your house and all you really needed was one or two things that you cared enough about to subscribe. 

But then the internet comes along and says why would you want a big sports section if what you care about is recipes? We’ll give you a website that has a million recipes and maybe give them to you free. But if you do care about sports, we’ll give you all the statistics you could ever imagine about the team you care about. It’s all personalized, aggregated marketing and people can subscribe or pay for what they want.