· Simon Galperin
Simon Galperin · October 23, 2018
Many local news deserts are “missing markets.” They have the resources to support local news and information production but lack the information, trust, and coordination to do so. Info districts provide all three to communities in order to create effective local news markets where there are none.
A University of North Carolina census (opens in a new window) of local news deserts puts the number of counties without a single local daily newspaper at 2,000. Digital outlets have emerged but face the same economic challenges as newspapers do. What local news communities do receive is sparse. A Duke University study (opens in a new window) found that only 17% of the local news a municipality received was about itself.
In many places, it’s not for want of a good local news source that this is the case. These local news deserts are missing markets (opens in a new window), places where a lack of information, trust, and coordination keep a market from emerging and sustaining itself. It is a common occurrence with public goods.
In the case of missing local news markets, folks may not know how they’d benefit from better news; they may not trust each other enough to allay free-rider concerns; and, even if they did, setting up a local news market requires upfront, well-intentioned financing, something few places can find.
Info districts aim to create conditions that jumpstart and maintain effective local news markets.
Info districts are set up by local stakeholders who understand the local news and civic engagement crisis and can communicate it to their neighbors. They use a participatory process that builds trust and involves their community in designing and implementing solutions to the crisis. And the public financing and accountability structure ensures that local news, information, and communication needs can begin being met swiftly and for the benefit of the public.