Democracy Needs Newspapers. And Better Reporters

There is no doubt that Journalism is an essential part of the proper functioning of any democracy. In any circumstance that citizens can affect the outcome of government decisions, it is important that they are provided with a venue of reliable, accurate information. So why is it important to have newspapers in democracy, as opposed to online publications or blogs? Many argue that the internet will replace newspapers and the outcome will be no less effective. But the reason we need newspapers is clearest when we zone in to the local level of reporting.

A Princeton University study shows that as a consequence of shutting down The Cincinnati Post, “fewer candidates ran for municipal office in the suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win re-election, and voter turnout fell.”

What most people don’t realize is that local newspapers provide more for us than we can appreciate. With all of the local-level reporters getting their articles in and covering the happenings of the city, citizens have a venue of information to turn to when in need. The Cincinnati Post was probably a crucial part of the information the area citizens relied on for candidate details. Without the Post, most citizens may have not even bothered to realize that an election was going on, much less consider which candidate to vote for. But there is an article I came across in which the reporter identified himself as a lifelong journalist, but one that apparently may not be so disappointed with the fall of the newspaper.

David Simon, a former crime reporter for a Baltimore newspaper, describes the difference between crime reporting when he was in the field, and the way it is now. “Half-truths, obfuscations and apparent deceit -- these are the wages of a world in which newspapers, their staffs eviscerated, no longer battle at the frontiers of public information.” According to Simon, reporting has become so washed out in many instances, that reporters no longer go after their stories with the vigilance they once did. Bill Moyers reported in 2001 that over a quarter of journalists admitted to not covering a story or leaving information out due to the management of their newspaper of agency.

The issue of the newspapers’ importance in democracy is one that is deep and controversial. The important thing is that we realize that the newspaper, even if underreported at times, offers information that is vital and sometimes inaccessible through other venues. This sole purpose makes it a worthy asset. But if the newspaper and reporters in general are really failing to do the jobs citizens rely on them for, maybe we should be reconsidering all of news itself, and not just picking on our ailing newspapers.