In the digital age, forgetting local news media has become too easy. Many people get the bulk of their information from smartphones these days, and news app usage skews heavily in favor of larger national sources. Plus, for rural Americans, information spreads so fast on social media that it makes them forego their local news.

However, maybe it's time that more people focused on local news consumption. On social media, gossip and misinformation have warped people's sense of reality. Meanwhile, the big national news networks have hidden all the facts under piles of opinions. 

Plus, local news now has the online presence to deliver where once it was outgunned by internet media. Nearly all local news sources have websites. Plus, many also provide apps for your smartphone.

Here are some of the benefits of following local news:

Improves Communities

According to the New York State Bar Association, local news encourages social cohesion in communities. Additionally, voter participation increases in areas with strong local news coverage.

Investigative local journalism also improves the functions of government on the local level. Jurisdictions operate more efficiently The decisions of elected officials are also more available for public scrutiny.

Diversifies and Centralizes

The addition of local news coverage diversifies the information that you receive. With most news media being consumed via social media and via national sources, checking out the local news gives you another informational angle. In this complicated world, having multiple sources of information proves to be essential.

More importantly, local news gives you a great centralized source of accurate information. This is way better than getting all your info from on social media because a lot of that information may well be gossip or misinformation.

Informs the National

Local and regional news providers once informed the national press, according to Pulitzer Board co-chair Joyce Dehli. Today, however, the opposite is often true. For example, the failure of the national news media to predict the widespread rural support for Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. In truth, no journalism that originates from the national media centers on the coasts covers the issues in the middle of the country very well.

For that coverage, you need your local news. It's the only source of information that accurately reflects what's happening where you live. But the local news media has been decimated by the digital revolution and needs your help to survive.

To learn more, contact a source of local news like The Herald Dispatch.