Increasingly, national stories are playing out in local communities, forcing local journalists to step into unfamiliar territory. From protests and immigration to education and healthcare, local papers are covering issues they once left to national outlets.
“Small, medium-sized newspapers who were 100% local are taking on how national issues affect the local level,” said Traci Bauer, VP at Adams Publishing Group.
At Adams Publishing, this shift led to the hiring of a national enterprise editor—a sign of just how much national politics has permeated local life.
Meanwhile, Bangor Daily News focused on making national stories more relatable by having local reporters tell them. “We found that if it was a local journalist writing national content, it was 1.5x more effective in terms of page views and conversions,” said Arvid Tchivzhel of Mather Economics.
The effectiveness of local storytelling in national contexts underscores an important trend: readers are more likely to engage with big issues when they’re covered with local voices and context.
Ultimately, the panelists made clear that local journalism is not retreating from big conversations. Instead, it is finding ways to localize them with clarity, trust, and perspective.
Stay tuned for more in this series, as we continue to explore how local journalism is transforming in real time.
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