“Local News Coverage” with Spencer Graves

As print media companies combine, and broadcast companies expand their holdings, local news media are shrinking, like Kansas City’s own Star. Spencer Graves suggests that the future of our democracy depends on the quality of news coverage.  If we don’t find ways to pay for better news coverage, we will pay indirectly with governmental policies that are less responsive to the needs of most citizens.

Research has established that poorer news generally lead to fewer candidates running for political office, candidates spending less money on elections, incumbent politicians working less hard for their constituents, and governmental entities becoming more expensive and less responsive to the citizenry.

A video of this presentation with a partial transcript is available in the Wikiversity article on “Media and Democracy in Kansas City and Elsewhere“.

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