By John Hiner, president
Michigan Press Association
I started my journalism career with a typewriter, a notebook and a pretty basic motivation: I wanted to know what was happening in my community, and why.
The typewriter is long gone, replaced by technologies I couldn’t have imagined back then. But across Michigan, the curiosity and commitment that brought many of us into journalism in the first place are still there. So is the unshakeable belief that local news matters.
Today is the inaugural Local News Day, a nationwide observance of the role local journalism plays in communities big and small. It’s a great opportunity to focus on what this work is really about.
Local journalism helps people understand what’s happening around them so they can make informed decisions. That’s not a partisan idea.
Everyone benefits from accurate reporting on schools, roads, public safety, taxes, local businesses and the decisions made at city hall and the state Capitol. Communities with strong local news tend to be more connected, more transparent and better prepared to solve problems.
Local reporters show up to meetings most residents can’t or don’t attend. They dig up records, break down complicated issues and hold institutions accountable. It’s often unglamorous and routine work, but it’s foundational to civic life.
And it’s getting harder to do. Since 2005, roughly 60% of local reporting jobs nationwide have disappeared. Fewer journalists are covering more ground, even as the issues facing communities grow more complex and consequential.
Local journalism also depends on public trust and a shared understanding of how credible news is produced. Media literacy matters. When people can separate verified reporting from rumor or misinformation, public debate improves. When they understand how journalists verify information and correct mistakes, confidence in responsible news organizations grows.
There are real threats to independent journalism that should concern people across the political spectrum. Reporters increasingly face harassment in public for doing their jobs. Weak transparency laws make it harder to see how decisions are made. The use of regulatory pressure or lawsuits to discourage reporting has affected the public’s right to know.
There’s also a growing movement around the country to shift public and legal notices out of newspapers and onto government websites. That would make essential information harder to find — especially in rural communities – and further distance citizens from watching how their elected officials actually do their jobs.
Local News Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s a reminder that sustaining local journalism is a shared responsibility. Subscribing, advertising, reading critically and engaging civically all matter. So does standing up for transparency laws, press freedoms and media literacy education.
Local news isn’t about ideology or technology. It’s about dedicated, professional journalists serving their neighbors with reliable, verified information. On Local News Day – and every day – that mission deserves recognition and support.
John Hiner is the president of MLive Media Group, which includes eight community newspapers and the MLive.com digital news company.