This past month of October, National Newspaper Week was sponsored by the Newspaper Association Managers (NAM) to promote the vital role newspapers play in informing, empowering, and uniting our communities. Their theme this year was the importance of local journalism.

According to NAM, local journalism brings stories to light that national outlets often overlook school board decisions, city council debates, neighborhood events, and local heroes.

City of Marshall leadership has taken some time to discuss the importance of communications and noted the importance of local news organizations. A city survey conducted this past year on communications with the goal of learning how best to support informed decision-making, encourage civic participation, and highlighting what makes Marshall great, revealed that a majority of respondents (64.9%) still get their government news and information of events in Marshall from local newsprint and radio.

Certainly, for the city of Marshall, the role of our local news organizations, the Marshall Independent and Marshall Radio, play an important role in providing transparency between government and the public by providing coverage of city council meetings, planning commissions, public hearings, and subsequent articles and postings on those meetings.

Each city council meeting is attended or viewed by our local newspaper reporter from the Marshall Independent. Marshall Radio, in addition to their daily news reports, allows various department heads of our city to broadcast a monthly one-on-one radio interview. Whether a newspaper article or a radio interview, both not only build trust between citizens and local government but also serve as a bridge — helping city officials communicate initiatives, programs, and emergency information to residents.

In addition to coverage of local events, issues, and people, our local news organizations provide a public forum for debate. Newspapers provide space for letters to the editor, opinion columns and editorials, allowing citizens to express their views and engage in civic debate. Social media posting by our local newspaper and radio has also provided feedback that can help city leaders understand public sentiment on a particular topic or issue.

Local news can foster a sense of belonging by highlighting stories that resonate on a personal level. Often our local news organizations will cover stories about our community that highlight a personal story or achievement. These types of stories often bring out the most feedback (and often overwhelmingly positive) on social media, that further helps build those community connections.

Our local news covers economic development activities that can help support a new business or existing small businesses, through articles, interviews, advertising or promotions. Examples include Marshall Independent’s annual publication of Marshall Business People and Marshall Radio’s annual event, the Marshall Home Show.

Additionally, local news plays a part in our local history as they are essentially recording events as they happen, making their stories a first draft of history. Every article, photograph, and report captures what was important to a community at a specific moment — elections, natural disasters, festivals or new buildings to name a few. Decades later, these reports become primary sources for historians and researchers studying events or topics that are a part of our community story.

However, with all the importance of local news highlighted, concerns exist on newspaper and radio success for the long term due to reduced subscriptions, local newspapers going out of business or competing demands for other listening opportunities can mean less listeners for local radio.

The Center for Rural Policy and Development studied the decline of local newspapers in 2023 and noted that in Minnesota, between 2000 and 2021, about a quarter of the state’s newspapers closed, 60% in Greater Minnesota and 40% in the Twin Cities. At the same time, though, the number of people working at newspapers dropped 70%. AM/FM radio’s share of total audio listening dropped to 36% in 2023, according to research firm Edison Research. As these local news sources decline, citizens lose necessary transparency on local government and city-wide developments.

Local news plays a vital role in supporting and strengthening city government. It serves as a bridge between city officials and the community, helping ensure transparency, accountability, and civic engagement that can help build a healthy relationship between government and the public.

Newspaper subscriptions, purchasing a paper through a news stand, listening to the local radio channel, sharing stories, and encouraging our local news reporters are all ways we can help build upon that relationship.

— Sharon Hanson is the city administrator for the city of Marshall