News Hole

In his new book, Danny Hayes, examines current trends within local journalism. As struggling newspapers have slashed staff, they have dramatically cut their coverage of mayors, city halls, school boards, county commissions, and virtually every aspect of local government. In turn, fewer Americans now know who their local elected officials are, and turnout in local elections has plummeted. Hayes suggests, in order to reverse this trend and preserve democratic accountability in our communities, the local news industry must be reinvigorated – and soon.