Americans' Confidence in Local News' Ability to Hold Powerful People Accountable Wavers
A recent national poll commissioned by the Medill School at Northwestern University reveals a concerning trend in American sentiment towards local news media's role in holding public officials accountable. The survey, conducted by the Medill School along with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, highlights that fewer than a third of Americans believe local news media effectively fulfill this critical mission. With only 3.9 percent strongly agreeing and 26.5 percent agreeing that “My local news media hold public officials accountable,”, a total of 30.4 percent of respondents support the premise. On the opposite end, 11.3 percent strongly disagreed, and 18.8 percent disagreed, totaling 30.1%.
“There is a lack of trust in institutions in general, so that may be driving some of this,” said Tim Franklin, senior associate dean and John M. Mutz Chair in Local News at the Medill School. “But I think that given how critical this role is to democratic institutions and communities and to the state of our democracy, this is a red flare.”
Furthermore, Stephanie Edgerly, Medill professor and associate dean of research, emphasizes that news organizations need to improve their communication with the public about their efforts in holding public officials accountable.
“Maybe it’s not being communicated to the public as to how local news media hold public officials accountable, what their job is in doing that, or how local journalists are present at city hall meetings,” Edgerly said. “The public just sees the story that’s written up but does not understand what role local journalists played in covering it. In general, journalists have not been great at communicating the behind-the-scenes work of their reporting process to the public.”
The survey also raises concerns about the decline of newsrooms nationwide, particularly in smaller markets. Over 360 local news outlets have closed since the pandemic and the remaining newsrooms are left struggling with minimal resources to keep up with the shifting media landscape. With fewer resources available, the capacity for in-depth watchdog reporting has diminished. Tom Rosenstiel, the University of Maryland’s Eleanor Merrill Visiting Professor on the Future of Journalism, attributed this to the data showing that “the number of people working in newspapers has gone down, and the number of people in local newspapers especially has been hard hit.” Consequently, the diminished coverage of local government in local television and print news—once the primary source for many Americans—is contributing to the low trust and perception of accountability.
Television news coverage of local government is often limited due to ratings considerations. This, combined with the prevalence of television as the primary news source for older viewers, contributes to a lower perception of local news media's accountability.
“Nobody expects local TV to continue to rise to the top, but it continually does,” said Philip Napoli, director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke University. “There’s enough consistency that we still see TV land at the top of these surveys that I have to assume that it’s valid [that most viewers obtain local news via TV coverage].” Why is dependence on TV coverage so high? “I think it has to do with the ritual habit of television news being baked into daily life,” Edgerly said. “You turn the TV on while you’re making dinner. You sit down for dinner with the TV on. It’s part of a morning ritual. A lot of daily habits involve local television news consumption.”
The survey indicates that while radio and print newspapers have lower daily consumption rates compared to television and social media, they still play a significant role in local news consumption, particularly for older age groups. However, there is a shift towards daily engagement with radio and podcasts, suggesting that this medium has become a more integral part of people's routines.
“I thought it was interesting that radio/podcasting beats out newspapers in terms of daily habits,” Edgerly said. “It suggests that radio/podcasting has become much more of a daily ritual than reading newspaper stories.”
The survey findings highlight demographic differences in news consumption patterns—younger consumers are more apt to receive news via social media. Black consumers reported higher percentages across multiple media platforms, indicating their reliance on local news for information and representation. On the other hand, trust in local news was lower among Black consumers, particularly because of news representations of respondents’ communities.
Further research is needed to explore emerging sources and technologies, such as neighborhood Listservs (a mass-email or newsletter that incorporates community news) and their potential impact on local news consumption and accountability. “It [Listservs] popped up enough (in focus groups) that if I were going to do this sort of survey going forward, would it surprise me to see community Listservs perform better than newspapers at this point?” Napoli said. “It would not.”
Still, erosion in newsrooms and in institutions throughout the United States is at an alarming level, and that comes with a dire warning for democracy. Conflicted public opinion and distrust of journalism, which is meant to be an objective piece to hold the tenets of democracy accountable, could very well lead to the collapse of our institutions altogether. It’s crucial to begin exploring avenues of rebuilding trust, starting with the local level—and maybe, just maybe, we will avoid disaster.
