A local news report provides important civic information about a community’s issues, from day-to-day weather and traffic to government, crime, education and economy. Locally-produced news is also often more cultural than national news, covering the arts and sports. These differences highlight the value of local news for communities.

In addition to providing important civic information, locally-produced local news can also foster engagement with community institutions and organizations. This is because locally-owned media can be more physically close to their audience, allowing them to meet citizens face-to-face and build trust with the community. Local news also can avoid making general claims (such as “unemployment is down nationwide”) that may not reflect the reality in a specific area.

Local news is usually produced by commercial news outlets that serve a particular city, state or region. These may be newspapers, radio or television stations. Television stations are typically affiliated with a specific network, but can produce their own local news programs as well. Radio stations have been more prone to consolidation, with many owned by media conglomerates such as Nexstar and Sinclair.

In addition, many local newsrooms are becoming more financially sustainable through community partnerships and fundraising. This is reflected in their increasing number of awards for collaborative journalism and citizen engagement. These examples show the power of local news and highlight the importance of supporting mission-based local media with a gift to the American Journalism Project’s NewsMatch! The more people that support local news, the better our democracy will be.