Starving The Watchdogs

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media

Arts, Science, Performing Arts, Social Sciences

4.6 • 40.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2020

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Amidst the confusion and chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have sought out a long-trusted lifeline: the local newspaper. Though the value of local journalism is more apparent now than ever, newspapers are not thriving. They're collapsing. For many communities, this means fewer local stories and job losses. But new research suggests there's another consequence that's harder to spot — one that comes with a hefty price tag for residents. This week on Hidden Brain, wereturn to a 2018 episode that's acutely relevant today and ask, who bears the cost when nobody wants to pay?

Transcript

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0:00.0	From NPR, this is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedanta.
0:04.3	Amidst the confusion and chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic,
0:08.1	many of us have sought out a long-trusted lifeline.
0:12.0	The local newspaper.
0:13.9	Reporters venturing out to hospitals, to remote areas,
0:17.4	to nursing homes, they tell us what's happening
0:19.9	in the world in our country and in our own communities.
0:24.3	They let us track the spread of disease,
0:26.6	the availability of ICU beds, the well-being of our neighbors.
0:33.0	It should come as no surprise, and in the past couple of months,
0:36.1	print an online local newspaper readership has soared.
0:41.4	Yet at this time, when the value of local journalism
0:44.2	is most evident, as readers are inhaling article after article,
0:49.2	newspapers are not thriving.
0:52.7	They're collapsing.
0:54.6	Well, it is a difficult day for journalism in Cleveland.
0:57.7	Today, the plain dealer newsroom went from 38 employees
1:01.6	down to 16.
1:03.2	Well, North Dakota's two largest newspapers
1:05.4	are taking steps to trim costs amid the coronavirus outbreak.
1:09.3	COVID-19 vaporized the papers advertising.
1:11.8	Revenue is down more than 30%.
	...

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