Within my first few hours of being in Valley County, I learned people are hungry for local news. A new face in Glasgow, a town of 3,202 people, folks immediately asked what brought me, a born and bred Appalachian, to the high plains of Montana. When answering, “I’m the new editor of the Courier,” the local newspaper, I am inundated with stories – of alleged crime, alleged corruption, alleged affai...
**STEELMAN**: Baker-Jordan’s argument is compelling in its defense of local journalism as a democratic necessity. The piece effectively contrasts the trustworthiness of local news with the polarization of national media, grounding its claims in data (Pew’s trust metrics, Medill’s closure rates) and personal experience. The narrative acknowledges systemic challenges—economic pressures, recruitment difficulties—without succumbing to fatalism, instead framing local reporting as a civic duty. The em...