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A comment on Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm. Parent comment

Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by ghaff on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:07PM (#17510648)
My town had a local newspaper for a while which went away. Now I have basically no source of information about local planning, zoning, etc. board meetings. I suppose I could more regularly attend town meetings and so forth but that often isn't really an option.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by qubax on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:18PM (#17510712)
Your town/municipality doesn't have a website with all that info? Granted, most town websites are horrid to navigate, but the information should be there.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by vkou on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @07:11PM (#17510958)
Even when there is a website with meeting minutes/notes/bylaws/zoning info, it's really helpful to have someone who knows what the government is talking about to sift through, and highlight the important bits.

Likewise, I can go down to the river, and start taking water samples, to figure out whether or not the local factory is polluting the waters. I'd really rather not, though.

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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by ghaff on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:26PM (#17510756)
Not really. There's no consistent source of information about upcoming issues, votes, etc. There is info about upcoming meetings but then you need to personally attend.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by ethbro on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:51PM (#17510860)
There's a lot of information that flat out doesn't make the internet.

And in most towns, it's been my experience that decisions are usually already made by the time it is.

The local political beat used to mean going and sitting through council meetings. Now there's no one reliably doing that.

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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by tcbawo on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:48PM (#17510842)
Facebook groups + alderman + local FOIA by activist citizens is what has been developing here.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by dominotw on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:24PM (#17510748)
I used to read dnainfo in chicago everday but they shut it down last year. It was the only news i really cared about.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/

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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by ianmcgowan on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:14PM (#17510703)
nextdoor.com? Though mine seems to be filled with people complaining about things, and lost dogs...
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by ghaff on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:28PM (#17510767)
It's a 7,000 person largely rural town. There's the occasional piece on wickedlocal but basically nothing systematic.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by sjg007 on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @07:12PM (#17510961)
My small town has a Facebook group that’s been filled with trump trolls. It’s disheartening.
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Re:Why local US newspapers are sounding the alarm by beamatronic on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @07:33PM (#17511076)
Nextdoor can fulfill that role to some extent. As long as someone cares enough to post.
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