Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Professional daily journalism is contracting nationwide as metro newspapers withdraw from their suburbs, reduce zoned editions, and even cut back from printing seven days a week.Smaller dailies and community newspapers also are downsizing and closing their doors.Neither broadcast television nor radio nor Web start-ups have replaced the displaced journalism, creating what the Federal Communications Commission calls a "media deficit" in many communities.This dissertation seeks toexplore what this trend means for public affairs information entering the public sphere by examining two live news environments, one with a daily newspaper (Wood County, Ohio) and one where a newspaper had closed (Geauga County, Ohio).Methods used were textual analysis of media texts and audience contributions including those associated with print reports, television, social media, and start-up Websites.In-depth interviews were conducted with journalists, citizens, and public officials.A survey polled opinion leaders in both counties about their assessment and use of the media in their areas.Two focus groups were conducted.Overall, this study found that daily professional journalism makes a significant difference not just in the amount of public affairs information available to a community, but also in the amount and type of conversations that take place in the digital world.In the community without daily professional journalism, residents were forced to craft their own news feeds through cobbling together social media, digital, and the less regular print reports from weekly news operations and Dr. Aimee Edmondson, who suffered as well through my master's thesis, was a constant, positive voice and a source of inspiration and insight.Drs.David Mould and Katherine Jellison gave cheerfully and willingly of their time, energy, and deep experience.This project was infinitely improved through their efforts.Space prohibits thanking each of the journalists, public officials, agency managers, citizens, Web entrepreneurs, and so many others who contributed to this study.This project could not have happened without hundreds of people giving of themselves to provide their perspective and experience about the fate of journalism.I would like to make special acknowledgement of those who took the time to answer the questionnaire and take part in an online focus group in the wake of the school shooting in Chardon, Ohio.This event deeply affected the community, and their willingness to talk about media coverage, which must have seemed so mundane in comparison to the deaths of three young people, is deeply appreciated.This project, too, could not have happened without the support of the staff at the E.W.
Author: Edgar Simpson
Institution: Ohio University
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2339575418