The impact of declining local journalism

There are falling levels of trust in news, growing numbers of people who avoid news stories, and a sharp decline in the number of those who take a strong interest in news coverage. Local newspapers and broadcast services are also disappearing due to cuts, centralisation, and mergers. How would we hold local government and public services to account for the decisions that affect our everyday lives? What does it mean for our understanding of institutions like the courts if we don't engage with coverage?

In this episode of our Committee Corridor podcast, host Catherine McKinnell MP (Chair of the House of Commons Petitions Committee) speaks with Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. They recently published a report surveying more than 93,000 online news consumers in 46 countries covering half the world's population.

We're also joined by the Chair of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill MP. The Committee has called on the court system to embrace technology and welcome media and the public into court proceedings. They say that the decline of local papers makes the business of justice less visible to the public, and the digital media hasn't filled the gap.

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