Local News and Its Impact on Democracy Consensus Response Form

Local League Name

Date of Local League Board Meeting

Date

Number of members participating in consensus meetings.

Total membership in your League

Name of person reporting on behalf of your League

First NameLast Name

Phone number of reporting member named above

Area CodePhone Number

E-mail of reporting member

example@example.com

Methods used to solicit members’ views

Unit meetingsGeneral meetingOther

Introduction

The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy study was adopted at the 2021 LWVWA convention. It is now ready for state-wide member study and discussion. The consensus derived from this process will be used to develop a LWVWA position which both the state and local Leagues can then use to advocate for changes to public policy.

Consensus is member agreement reached after study and discussion. It is not a simple majority, nor is it necessarily unanimity; rather, it is the overall sense of the group as expressed through the exchange of ideas and opinions. Consensus is not a vote or a poll. However, a show of hands may be used to determine the sense of the group.

Local League boards will submit a single consensus statement from their League that captures the responses to the consensus questions from its members.

The discussion questions are to help get the conversation started. To assist in the discussion, pages in the study are noted where you can find information pertaining to the question. While the responses to the consensus questions are the basis for a League position, consensus may arise from the discussion questions as well.

Discussion questions are optional, and noting any major points related to the discussion questions will be helpful to the process. Record comments related to the consensus questions. All of this information will be used to draft a LWVWA position.

Where do you, your family, and friends turn for reliable local news?

Despite significant declines in staff, circulation and coverage, local newspapers—print, online and a combination of the two—continue to provide the majority of original reporting that eventually appears on other platforms, including television news, radio news, blogs and social media. Are you concerned about what the future will be like if this decline continues, as predictions indicate it will?

Question 1: One of the main missions of the League—at all levels, national, state and local—is to provide civic and voter education to communities. (Pages 73-74)

1A. Please rate how important local newspapers are in assisting in this mission:

1B. Please rate how well your local newspaper performs in this public service:

Comments:

Question 2: Many historians and scholars believe that freedom of the press, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, implied that the government had the fundamental obligation to see that journalism actually existed. (Pages 66-67, 118)

2A. Do you agree this is a valid interpretation of the founders’ intentions?

2B. Furthermore, is it important that such an interpretation prevails today?

Comments:

Question 3: Local newspapers, as a cornerstone of a free press, are essential to our democracy. (Pages 4, 9, 43, 62, 64, 67, 73, 74, 75, 118)

Comments:

Question 4: Federal, state, and local governments have supported news publishers with tax breaks, postal subsidies and the printing of public notices since before the country’s founding. (Pages 65-67, 74)

4A. The government (at any level) should provide some type of financial support to newspapers.

Comments:

What types of support are or would be acceptable? If you didn’t reach consensus on this ranking, indicate here:

No consensus

4B. If you did reach consensus, rank in your order of support for each (you can reorder the list below by clicking and dragging each item into a new position).

If you chose "other" in 4B, please write in your answer below:

Comments—Indicate any criteria for support:

Comments—Indicate any restrictions:

4C. What suggestions other than government funding do you have to improve the situation of a lack of local news?

Comments—Indicate any criteria for support:

Comments—Indicate any restrictions:

Question 5: The crisis of the local newspaper decline has affected residents who are poor and those who live in rural communities more than other populations. This is often due to increased subscription prices, limited internet connectivity, and device costs. There should be support for ensuring access for all to local news. (Pages 17-18, 74)

Comments:

Local News and Its Impact on Democracy Consensus Response Form

Introduction

Discussion Questions

Consensus Questions