In the given TED talk, a former Denver Post editor Chuck Plunkett tells
about his career and which conclusions has he made after working as a
journalist for many years. In 2010 The Denver Post was bought by Alden
Global Capital and started making significant staff cuts. Print news were
losing its profitability, so the newspaper was to be digitized to be able
compete on the Internet. Even despite the fact that The paper won a
Pulitzer Prize in 2013, only 70 journalists were left in the newsroom after
another layoff. Chuck Plunkett had to resign, when the interests of the
management (publishing house) began to diverge from his own.
The speaker claims that local news reflects the regional events, which
national papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post can’t
cover and motivate 13% of the nonvoting electorate to vote during the
elections. Moreover, when papers watch and report on local government,
political leaders act with accountability. That is why, “when local news
dies, so does democracy.”
The conclusion of the speech was the following. Local newspapers are
substantial to democracy, so they must be financed properly, whether
they’re lucrative enough or not. for the reason that, that is how
democracy works. Otherwise, it can disappear completely.
Recommendation
Some 1,800 newsrooms around the United States have closed their doors
since 2004. Hedge funds and management groups looking to maximize
profits bought them out and stripped them down. Thousands of
journalists lost their jobs as democracy suffered the biggest blow. In this
TED Talk, former Denver Post editorial page editor Chuck Plunkett
warns that society must do more to preserve local newsrooms and
protect the vital watchdog role these institutions play in a democracy.
Take-Aways
The Denver Post was a robust local newspaper with a staff of 300
reporters until a hedge fund bought it in 2010 and started making
cuts.
Some 1,800 newsrooms have closed around the United States since
2004, creating “news deserts” in many communities.
Local news reflects the power and authority of the people, from
whom democracy derives its legitimacy. So “when local news dies,
so does democracy.”
When papers watch and report on local government, political
leaders act with accountability.
Summary
The Denver Post was a robust local newspaper with a staff of 300
reporters until a hedge fund bought it in 2010 and started making
cuts.
Upon assuming ownership of The Denver Post, Alden Global Capital
reduced the newspaper’s staff by almost half. The rise of the internet,
Craigslist and Google cut into the classified advertising revenues upon
which print news traditionally relied.
“Advertising dollars were evaporating. The entire industry was
undergoing a massive shift from print to digital.”
Alden’s directive was to take the Post digital so the newspaper could
compete online. The paper’s business leaders predicted the online model
would eventually return a profit that would cover the losses of the
printed newspaper. Alden demanded the Post cut staff again in 2013
after the paper won a Pulitzer Prize, leaving only a skeleton crew to
cover a multitude of beats and to rush out articles. In March 2018,
although the paper met profit targets estimated at 20% and created
award-winning journalism, Alden ordered additional cuts that left only 70
journalists in the newsroom.
Some 1,800 newsrooms have closed around the United States
since 2004, creating “news deserts” in many communities.
The collapse of local newspapers garners little national news coverage.
Some local outfits continue in name only, producing filler content to
justify selling ad space. Hedge funds bought local papers with the
clear intent of stripping them for parts and discarding whatever
remained. The Denver Post reported on this phenomenon and on the
necessity and positive impact of worthy local news.
“The Denver rebellion launched like a missile, and went off like a
hydrogen bomb.”
Alden didn’t appreciate the negative spotlight and forced the paper’s
then editorial page editor, Chuck Plunkett, to resign. Nothing has
changed, and the Post limps along, a shadow of its former self. Many
think local newspapers should die out as relics of the past. Perhaps it’s
been so long since your local paper was any good that you don’t
remember what you’re missing.
Local news reflects the power and authority of the people from
whom democracy derives its legitimacy. So “when local news dies,
so does democracy.”
Local news coverage informs the community and nurtures sound
decision-making by local government and by citizens. At a robust local
newspaper, journalists attend and report on every city council meeting.
They scope out the weaknesses in proposed bills and programs and alert
the public. Researchers found that local papers motivate 13% of the
nonvoting electorate to vote. That’s a significant impact. Without local
reporting, bad measures pass while beneficial but intricate measures fail.
The resulting ignorance fuels partisanship. When reporters can’t publicly
vet candidates on their positions and their merits, voters rely on
campaign ads and speeches.
“The newsroom best equipped to cover your local election ought to be
your local newsroom. If you’re lucky and still have one.”
As every race becomes a “pay to play” event, only rich candidates
survive, and worthy, less affluent candidates lose. This is not the free and
fair elections that those who framed the US Constitution envisioned.
National papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post can’t
cover every local race.
When papers watch and report on local government, political
leaders act with accountability.
When local news coverage is robust, the police department, politicians
and the private sector act with greater integrity. Without that watchdog
capacity, informed public debate – the discourse democracy depends
upon – withers.
“You know intimately what the poisoned national discourse feels like,
what a mockery of reasoned debate it has become. This is what happens
when local newsrooms shutter.”
Local outlets are vital to democracy, so it’s critical that they receive
adequate funding, whether they’re profitable or not. It’s time for a
national discussion about public funding for the fourth estate, before it
disappears and takes democracy with it.
About the Speaker
Former Denver Post editorial page editor Chuck Plunkett advocates for
high-quality local news.
