There's always a local angle

There's always a local angle

November 17, 2022

There's always a local angle

Welcome to My World’s on Fire, a newsletter about disasters from journalist Colleen Hagerty. If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, let’s make this a regular thing—subscribe for free to receive disaster deep-dives, Q&As, and context in your inbox on Thursday evenings.

PS - The title of today’s edition refers to the saying that in journalism, there’s always a local angle to be found in a national news story. This is one of my recent favorite examples.

Earlier today, Gannett—the largest newspaper chain in the country—told employees to expect layoffs in early December. This is the second round of layoffs for the company this year; according to Poynter, the last round saw about 400 newsroom employees across the country lose their jobs. In one case, that included eliminating the only full-time news reporter for an Ohio paper. News like this, often reported by outlets that are themselves shrinking, has become incredibly common. A 2021 Pew Research Center study found that newsroom employment fell more than a quarter between 2008 and 2020, and hundreds of positions have been slashed in the years since then.

Wait, what does that have to do with disasters?

The loss of local news has a negative effect on the communities left behind. As Columbia Journalism Review explained: “Depressingly, academic studies show that the local news collapse has likely led to lower voter turnout and bond ratings, and more corruption, waste, air pollution, and corporate crime.” It also leaves a void when it comes to covering disasters. Local news can provide an essential service before, during, and after disasters, from sharing regular updates about available resources to warning residents about remaining hazards. While national outlets can play a key role bringing attention to disasters, attracting aid to impacted communities, and holding officials accountable, these outlets are simply not designed to be used as hyperlocal resources in the same way. Having worked in both local and national news during such times, the information you’re collecting and sharing is simply different. For example, on the local side, I remember producing reports that told people where downed power lines were and which gas stations were still open. It’s information that was incredibly useful to the community but would not make the cut for the national outlets trying to offer a broader look at the situation. Then there’s the matter of consistency—you might see national outlets covering your community the morning after a storm hits; it’s rare for those same reporters to be there three months later. But local journalists will likely stay on the story. The loss of local news can even translate into some of the most vulnerable or hardest-hit communities being both left out of the news and potentially unable to access it, as Claire Carlson wrote in The Objective. “Knowing information about settlements, FEMA benefits, or legal services can save someone’s life, yet very little of this information is disseminated to those who would most benefit from it,” Carlson wrote, sharing examples from rural communities impacted by wildfires.She also touched on the communication challenges in areas that do not have dependable internet access—without local newspapers or radio stations, it can be challenging for these residents to know where they should even go for help.

Uplifting local news

A few weeks ago, I attended a journalism conference for news entrepreneurs, where I met journalists building independent outlets to serve their local communities. Many of them shared with me their own experiences reporting on disasters, including extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires. And I left wanting to share some of those stories with all of you.

So, in the same way that I try to bring you

every couple of weeks, I’m committing now to regularly highlighting local news stories in this newsletter. I’m still figuring out the best format, but it will likely be a mix of links and interviews with local journalists who are covering disasters in their communities.

To kick things off, I wanted to share the '

' series from North State Public Radio, which newsletter subscriber and NSPR reporter Jamie Jiang brought to my attention this week on

(the uncertainty of which was

of last week's newsletter and the reason this week's came to you so late in the evening).

Logo and description of the series from the NSPR website—click to check it out

The series dives into the issues with emergency alerts and communications, grounded in the experiences of wildfire survivors. It also explores potential alternatives, such as sirens, and gives locals the opportunity to share their experiences with a survey. While it’s focused in Butte County, California, it speaks to challenges that I know from my reporting are being discussed across the country, particularly when it comes to alerting residents in rural regions.

Thanks again to Jamie for sharing this important local reporting—I hope you'll all give it a read or a listen. If you have any suggestions of outlets, specific stories, or even local journalists to follow on social media for future editions, please send them my way! You can always reach me by responding to this email.

Newsletter news

This newsletter will be off next week. I hope you all get some quality time with loved ones, and I'll be back in your inboxes in December with a new edition of Demystifying Disasters.If you have some holiday downtime, I'd love hear your thoughts about MWOF in this quick survey. Your feedback helps inform the future of this newsletter, and I'm incredibly grateful for those who take the time to weigh in!

As always

thank you for subscribing to My World’s on Fire.This newsletter is powered by the MWOF member program. So, if you’re a regular reader, please consider joining for just $5/month or $50/year. You'll get extra editions in your inbox each month and an opportunity to help shape this newsletter as it heads into its third year. These donations make deeply-reported editions like this possible! Or, if you’re not into commitment, you can make a one-time donation of any amount.It also means the world when you spread the word about MWOF with your family, friends, and total strangers on social media. This week’s subscriber shout-out goes to fellow newsletter writer Alex Steffen for this kind tweet:

Now, here’s a

for reading to the end.

Colleen

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