OPINION — There was a time, not that long ago, when curious voters could know where political candidates stood on important issues of the day by reading their local newspapers.
Those days are gone, as are many of the newspapers. AI overviews are no substitute.
According to a recent report from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, “almost 40 percent of all local U.S. newspapers have vanished” during the past two decades. This has resulted in what the authors of a recent book, “News Hole,” describe as a “massive reduction in … reporting capacity” nationwide.
