Skagit League of Women Voters backs initiative for local news

They're thinking nationally and acting locally.

Delegates from the Skagit chapter of the League of Women Voters championed a national push to support local journalism and news coverage in Washington, D.C., in June.

The Skagit chapter, in fact, had hosted public forums in Mount Vernon on the status of community journalism – purchasing print advertising to promote those meetings – well before the League of Women Voters of the United States overwhelmingly adopted a position in support of local news at its national convention in Washington, D.C.

Skagit chapter members Jane Vilders and Bev Herbst were Washington state delegates to the June 29 conference, where they and their colleagues agreed that the decline of local news negatively affects democracy, creating pockets of "news deserts" in underserved communities, while adversely impacting the electoral process.

The national organization's new posture states that it is the government's responsibility to provide support for conditions under which credible community journalism can survive and thrive. It was developed from a study by the League's Washington state members.

That study tracked the decline of local newspapers statewide and nationally and found that democracy is directly related to credible sources of local news.

Its analysis found that when local news coverage wanes, so does voter turnout. In addition, the study confirmed that when community journalism is lacking, political partisanship increases and fewer candidates tend to step forward seeking public office.

The Washington initiative was crafted in a way that League chapters in other states can adapt it to meet their respective needs, Herbst said.

"We wanted to address the issue so that each state could figure out what approach works best for them," Herbst told the Weekly News in a July 16 interview.

Herbst, Vilders and Wende Sanderson, a Skagit chapter member, noted that at the federal level there are bills in the Senate and House of Representatives that, if passed, will bolster community journalism and help it regain momentum lost amid the rise of digital outlets, closure of local newspapers and staff cutbacks at regional publications purchased by larger chain operations.

"The great thing about these two pieces of legislation," Vilders said, "is that they both enjoy bi-partisan support. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle realize the decline of local news coverage is a problem."

Closer to home, Vilders pointed out that the state legislature has created Edward R. Murrow Fellowships that sponsors placement of journalists on the staffs of community publications. It is administered by Washington State University. The legislature has also exempted newspapers from Washington's Business & Occupation tax.

Vilders said that in conversations with Skagit County newspaper readers, she consistently hears what they most appreciate is coverage of local events and entities such as city and town councils, county boards and commissions, health departments, school districts and the like.

"People are interested in what's happening locally," Herbst stressed.

Vilders held up the Weekly News as an example, citing its coverage of and context provided for board elections and policy debates in the nearby Shelter Bay residential community.

"Your paper followed the whole series of what was happening out in Shelter Bay," she said.

"Depth," added Sanderson, "is what makes local news valuable."

Vilders said the League's focus on local journalism is intended to help the public connect dots that explain why newsrooms are shrinking and community news coverage in general is not as robust as it was a generation ago.

"I don't think people understand why newspapers are disappearing," she said.

The Skagit chapter felt the issue was so important that it launched the public forums last year and backed them with paid advertising.

"Our commitment," Sanderson said, "has included putting our money where our mouth is."

The Skagit chapter likewise is hopeful that new members will commit to the League of Women voters and its mission to foster democracy on all levels.

"We're glad for anybody to join the League," said Vilders.

Short of that, she encourages members of the public concerned about the future of local journalism to subscribe to a local newspaper, provide feedback to editors and owners on the content in their publications and encourage legislation supporting local news outlets.