The Problem
Lack of local news and information is detrimental to democratic societies. Communities use information to hold public officials accountable, coordinate social and economic activity, solve problems, and foster a sense of connectedness.
Traditionally, local journalists have played a key role in meeting those needs. But there are fewer and fewer journalists working in towns and cities throughout the United States.
This public service journalists performed used to be supported by advertising. As news moved online, so did advertising. Overtime, newsrooms lost more and more of that advertising to the internet’s gatekeepers — Facebook, Google, and the like. As advertising revenue declined, newsrooms withdrew from communities or closed down altogether.
There have been attempts to fill those voids. In some communities, laid off journalists have launched their own news websites. In a few markets, new media companies have launched and grown. In others, nonprofit newsrooms have emerged as champions of public service journalism.
But many of the information needs that are critical to local communities are not being met, and the residents of those communities understand the value of what they’re missing. The Community Information Cooperative (CiC) has developed a sustainable solution to meet those needs.
