52 min listen
A different take on local news and democracy
FromDemocracy Works
ratings:
Length:
35 minutes
Released:
Jul 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Local news and democracy have been intertwined since the days of Alexis de Tocqueville. As we've discussed on this show before, news outlets are one way that people who live in a city or town keep up on what's happening in their local government. However, our guest this week argues the "watchdog" effect of local journalism might be overstated, along with the correlation between local news consumption and political participation.Nikki Usher is an associate professor in the College of Media at the University of Illinois and author of News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism. In the book and in this conversation, Usher recasts the challenges facing journalism in terms of place, power, and inequality. She questions longstanding beliefs about the relationship between local news and civic engagement and separates observed behavior from myths about American democracy and the media's role within it. This conversation originally appeared on New Books in Journalism, part of the New Books Network.Additional InformationNews for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American JournalismNew Books NetworkRelated EpisodesNews deserts are democracy deserts tooFacebook is not a democracy
Released:
Jul 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
A democracy reading list: If you’ve been to a book store or the library lately, then you’ve probably seen at least a few books on democracy on the shelves. The 2016 presidential election spurred a lot of conversation about the current state of our democracy and where things go from here. These books are not what most people would … Continue reading A democracy reading list → by Democracy Works