{"id":1586,"date":"2024-08-21T17:22:19","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T00:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/?page_id=1586"},"modified":"2024-08-21T17:22:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T00:22:19","slug":"local-news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/local-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Local News"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-1586","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"header":{"component_page_header":{"header_type":"default","title":"Local News Legislation","lead":"","image":"","subnavigation":false}},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

California Common Cause is committed to helping build a resilient, accountable, and inclusive future for local news in our communities.<\/b><\/h4>\r\nThe local news industry in California is struggling to survive. In cities across the state, newspapers are folding or consolidating and remaining newsrooms are being hollowed out after mass layoffs.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe lack of information flowing to our communities impacts everyone \u2013 every group advocating in the public interest or for underserved communities is a stakeholder in ensuring a thriving local press. Preserving and strengthening a durable and diverse local press, including print and online publications, traditional media and ethnic media, is more important than ever to the future of our democracy.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOver the last decade and a half, the dominance of online classifieds and digital advertising have undermined newspapers\u2019 traditional local advertising revenue model. Mergers and layoffs have also led to many surviving local newspapers becoming shells of their former selves. In the last 15 years, the number of newspaper reporters has decreased by almost 60%. Many local papers now exist in name only, sometimes as branded editions of much larger news outlets, with little or no dedicated local journalism presence.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe gaps in local news coverage presents a crisis for California\u2019s local and state democracy in several critical ways:<\/span>\r\n