Join representatives from The Reflector, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Clark County Today and The Columbian for a community forum on Thursday, Nov. 16, as they respond to the question: “Does Local News Even Matter?”
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle of Vancouver, University of Oregon Agora Journalism Center’s Regina G. Lawrence and Len Reed, formerly an editor at The Oregonian, and now a faculty member at Washington State University Vancouver, will also participate.
The panelists will discuss how the local news crisis is playing out in Clark County and what it
means for the future of local news in Southwest Washington. Statewide, a million subscribers to local newspapers have been lost, while papers have cut two-thirds of their news staffs, and 20 papers have closed altogether, according to a press release.
The free event begins at 7 p.m. and will take place in the Columbia Room of the Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St., in Vancouver. Seating is limited, and registration is required at fvrl.librarymarket.com/does-local-news-even-matter-community-forum.
For those needing closed-caption viewing or who are unable to attend in person, Clark/Vancouver Television, CVTV.org, will air the event live, as well as make it available as a recording.
The event will also be streamed live on the League of Women Voters of Clark County Facebook page at facebook.com/LWVClarkCounty.
The League of Women Voters of Washington recently completed an extensive study of local
newspapers in the Evergreen state titled “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy.”
The study is available as a softback for $9.52 on Amazon and as an electronic book for $1.99. A free pdf is available at https://www.lwvwa.org/resources/Documents/Studies/LocalNews/Decline%2036.pdf. Details about the League’s study are also available at lwvwa.org/local-news.
