League Study Reports on the Evergreen State’s Local News Crisis 

Local newspapers in Washington state are so gravely diminished that our democracy is at risk, according to The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy, a study published by the League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund.

The study was prompted by a series of national reports tying the decline of local newspapers nationwide to reduced voter turnout, increased political polarization, higher government costs and less community engagement. It provides an in-depth look at how the local news crisis is playing out in the Evergreen state.

The study focuses on the closure of more than two dozen Washington newspapers, the loss of more than two-thirds of the state’s newspaper editors and reporters, large cutbacks in news coverage, and significant decreases in circulation and readership. It was approved by the LWVWA board of directors at their November 14, 2022 board meeting.

The Relationship Between Local Newspapers and the League’s Values, Vision and Mission 

In the summer of 2021, delegates to the state League convention voted in favor of initiating the study partly because of the intersection of local newspapers with the League’s mission to empower voters and its vision for a democracy where all persons have the desire, right and knowledge to participate. Newspapers also play a critical role in supporting the organization’s value that people should be informed and encouraged to participate in government and understand major public policy issues.

Throughout Washington, scholars and researchers, government and elected officials, and public health officials and other community leaders interviewed by the League express grave concerns about the newspaper decline. One Washington State University professor, in fact, has declared the crisis to be not a journalism problem, but rather a democracy problem.

The work Continues with the Process of Seeking Consensus

The League’s work on this issue is far from complete.

Through March 2023, local Leagues throughout Washington will read and discuss the study’s findings, embarking on a process to determine whether the League will adopt a policy position supporting local news. That process, known as seeking consensus, is not a simple majority vote, nor is it necessarily unanimity. Rather, it is the overall sense of the members’ sentiments as expressed through the exchange of ideas and opinions.

Based on the feedback they receive from local Leagues, members of the state board will determine in spring 2023 whether to adopt a policy position regarding local news. If they do so, delegates to the May 2023 state convention will vote on the proposed position. Adoption of a policy position would allow the nonprofit, nonpartisan League to advocate in support of local news across Washington.

Links

• Full Study (PDF): The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy

• Brier Dudley, The Seattle Times: New study documents Washington’s local news and democracy crisis

• Watch a virtual presentation hosted by LWV Seattle-King County

• Watch a discussion of study results confirming a decline in local newspapers and journalism, featuring Moderator Delores Irwin, Seattle Times Reporter Brier Dudley, and Former Managing Editor of the Ellensburg Daily News, Mike Gallagher.

Study Members