Local media is closely tied to polarization. When you don’t have access to a local source of quality information, you’re less likely to vote, to volunteer, or even trust your neighbors. But when you do have access to that, it helps connect you with your neighbors around issues that really matter and builds common understanding.

While technological innovations such as Facebook and NextDoor have made community-level discussion groups more accessible than ever, the public continues to view local journalism as more interesting, relevant, and trustworthy (Le Quere, Naaman and Fields, 2024). Those who read local news are more informed and more likely to be involved in their... See more

that local journalism is a crucial facet of society that connects us to the places we live and the people who live around us and gives us a sorely needed sense of shared reality in an atomised age; that this kind of journalism has been decimated in Greater Manchester and pretty much every other community in this country because its old business... See more