That's right! The Federal Communications Commission reports that there is a shortage of local reporting in our country. The FCC notes that "staffing levels at daily newspapers have fallen by more than 25 percent since 2001." This is due in large part to a decrease in demand for newspapers precipitated by the flood of new media channels in recent years. Why subscribe to a newspaper when one can just as easily check Twitter (make sure to follow us, by the way!) on their smartphone or computer or turn on the TV? Unfortunately, newspaper journalism tends to be more investigative than most news sources. This is due to the pressure on a newspaper's editors to actually fill the pages with interesting and relevant stories every day, rather than opinion articles and the often-seen "what household item will kill you?" stories on TV.
As a result of this loss of investigative reporting, there is less of a "watchdog effect" on local governments and businesses. Scandals may go unseen, waste may continue, and health dangers may not be remedied. As the report indicates, this severely weakens the role that the media is meant to play in American society; it is meant to keep an eye on government and local corruption, and to keep the populace aware of current events. Such a hole in the information industry paves the way for white-collar crime and other abuses of corporate power. Today we live in the information age, and it is increasingly more vital that the people hold the pen rather than those who would seek to do some selective publishing. For this reason, I believe that one of the more ominous obstacles that our society faces now and in the future is the monopolization of information. Any infringements on the First Amendment must be adamantly opposed, as they represent a major affront to mental freedoms for each and every one of us.
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