National news sweeps over the entire country and finds quick headlines that affect the masses. Generally speaking, this is good- but it’s not enough.  Very few realize the potential power of their local news organizations.

The News About the News, by Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser of the Washington Post, pointed to a disturbing trend in the 80s and 90s that continues today: big companies and corporate figureheads cutting quality to boost short-term profits. A general consensus has been that hard-hitting local news isn’t important (never mind that the public actually appreciates this watchdog role and disapproves of low quality journalism).

David Carr of the New York Times would disagree.  His latest column story, appropriately titled “Local Papers Shine Light in Society’s Dark Corners,” reminds us that the “Bridgegate” scandal was discovered by a local newspaper with apt resources and trained journalists.  Who knows what could be lurking beneath the surface?  In the words of poet W.H. Auden: “There’s always another story.  There’s more than meets the eye.”

Thus, there should be more investment in local news, not less.  As a journalist-in-training on Long Island, it’s sometimes painful to read reactions about News 12 Long Island on Facebook and witness Patch suffer from cuts we’re so familiar with. It’s always the little guy that suffers, and yet it’s always the little guy we turn to give us important news.