NPR’s Shankar Vedantam had a fascinating report on his Hidden Brain podcast about how a surprising hidden cost that occurs when a community loses its local newspaper. (Hint: It has something to do with property taxes.)
NPR: The surprising, hidden cost of losing local newspapers
by village14 | Dec 11, 2018 | Newton | 4 comments
I’m more than all in for the value of the Newton Tab, but for the sake of diversity it would seem beneficial if it reduced its hostility toward the minority conservative population in Newton.
The Hidden Brain Podcast is one of my favorites. Shankar Vedantam presented a thoughtful, insightful expose that reminds us that the press/public represents maybe the most important check/balance on government.
One bottom line conclusion shared (for those without time to listen) was that lack of a local newspaper raises the borrowing costs of a city by 0.1% due to perceived or actual lack of oversight of waste and corruption.
Here’s a link to an article on it for non-podcast listeners (like me)
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/11/675505080/local-newspaper-closures-come-with-hefty-price-tag-for-residents