Why local news matters | Monitor

Can the same be said of the broadcast media? Yes and no! Many Ugandan FM radios simply pull content from newspapers or online and read it at the top of the hour as ‘their’ news.

The radios therefore cannot be considered as the makers of news, so their treatment of local news, especially when it comes to space allocation, cannot be accurately evaluated. Television, on the other hand, is an active collector and processor of news so that a fair assessment can be made of it. From a general perspective, Ugandan televisions tend to give much more space to local news.

Indeed, the popular news bulletins with the highest number of viewers are those labeled as local: Akawungeezi, Agatalikonfufu, Agacwencire, etc. are the typical news programs broadcast in the evenings.

Reduction of local reporting is not just a Ugandan problem, it is a global journalistic problem. Why does local news seem to be in retreat? There are several reasons for this for the Ugandan newspapers. One is the cost of gathering news domestically, and the other is that up to 80 percent of newspapers are sold in the capital, Kampala, and only a few copies are sold in inland towns and villages. . Newspapers therefore tend to focus more on the Kampala audience.

Critics have argued that this imbalance, while largely economic, is also exacerbated by substantive choices. The domestic audience has very little to read about themselves in newspapers, and is therefore less likely to buy copies. This perpetuates the imbalance in the circulatory system.

Televisions, on the other hand, seem to be paying more attention to working domestically, which works for them in attracting advertising, thus better segmenting their news bulletins. The predominantly local news bulletins mentioned above are therefore usually longer and more explicit than the urban news bulletins that usually appear at 9 p.m.

How sustainable this is in light of declining revenues across the sector is the big question.

It is important to note that the news gathering network through agencies, correspondents and stringers who use both print and broadcast to gather news across the country has declined from what it was many years ago. This reinforces inequality in reporting and entrenches “news deserts” in communities and across the country. Anyway, what are we missing if the media doesn’t cover enough local news?

While we may want to position ourselves as modern-day global citizens, American journalist Alison Hill notes that ultimately: “We don’t live in a global community, we don’t live online (at least not physically) and we don’t even live in a ‘country’ per se . We live in small communities in our country, whether it is a city, village or neighborhood. Wherever you live, that’s your square mile.

“If the media doesn’t cover our “square mile,” we miss out on holding local authorities accountable. We miss seeing what we do in our communities projected onto a national level. We miss projecting local voices beyond villages or households. We miss learning from the challenges and successes that each other shares in the news. Ms. Hill goes on to point out five reasons why local news is important: Local journalism is a great training ground for newcomers and gives locals a voice!

Local journalism stimulates social involvement

Local journalism provides important and relevant regional news

Local journalism creates a strong sense of community

Local journalism promotes local culture

So succinctly it says: “Local news is an essential lever for a healthy democracy; it helps communities understand what is at stake in local elections, allows them to become involved in the political process by voting, contacting officials and running for office, reduces political polarization and holds government officials accountable .” – www.theajp.orgbyline credit: