Is the Decline of Newspapers Bad for the Country?

Major newspapers are dying. Many daily newspapers are going to 3x a week publication. In 2000, the Cleveland Plain Dealer had a staff of nearly 400. Now it's 33. Newspapers in mid-sized cities like Charlotte, Memphis, Denver and San Jose have seen a 90 percent reduction in staff. 1800 newspapers have closed since 2004.

Interestingly, nearly 75% of Americans have lost trust in the media but nearly the same number believe that their local media is financially healthy.

I'm not worried about the journalists themselves. Many of them have found work elsewhere and continue to spew their garbage. However, I have noticed a disturbing trend since the decline of newspapers.

Without a watchdog reporting, local municipalities have gone off the deep end with debt. My local government has been making some really bad moves that will cripple us, and nothing but a handful of citizens that the government has successfully branded as kooky on social media seem to care. Statewide, its just as bad. Only a couple of newspapers in Mississippi have a full time reporter covering what is going on in Jackson - and it's bad.

With the decline of local newspapers, voters turn to national media, and we know what is wrong there. In 1972, over half of voters voted a split ticket (that is, voted one party for Congress and another for President) In 2016, that number was less than 5 percent.