Shaena Friedman, Newspapers Uphold Democracy

 Sociologists and economists warn that the loss of the newspaper would have dire consequences for our democracy.  It is proven that the removal of a community's primary newspaper impedes civic involvement in the political process.  A democracy relies on the votes of it's citizens and cannot risk to lose one of its most prominent defenders.  To lose political participation at the most local level is to impede the democratic process. 

In the year after the closing of the Cinncinnati Post, a study done in the surrounding suburbs showed a remarkable decline in political participation.  The difference in both the number of those running for office and the reduction in voter turnout was directly attributed to the absence of the primary newspaper.  The advent of the Internet has made retrieving the news faster and easier, but those that think the newspaper is obsolete are forgetting the ability that a local publication has to connect with it's citizens.    

 The newspaper gives its community a tangible voice.  It aids the political process by reporting on important community information at the most accessible and local level.  It upholds the checks and balances within the governmental process and within the media.  The disappearance of the newspaper would literally (and literarily) be democracy slipping from our fingers.

For more information on this topic go to http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/03/26/23165 and http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=a4e2aafc-cc92-4e79-90d1-db3946a6d119