Sunday afternoon, Politico came out with a “special report” on the relationship between the strength of local newspapers and support for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. “Trump thrives in areas that lack traditional news outlets,” the headline said. …
I have a lot of sympathy for those who argue that the decline of local newspapers has led to a decline in government accountability, political engagement, and a host of other democratic ills. …
But this study doesn’t really show what people are claiming it does. The underlying argument might be true, but the data the authors are using doesn’t prove their case. Here are a few of the issues I have with it. CONT.
Joshua Benton, NiemanLab