Local civic life without a daily newspaper
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This project is an analysis on the perspectives of community leaders in a news desert. Through 11 qualitative interviews with community leaders, public officials, and journalists in the small Texas border town of Del Rio, I examined how they communicate, relate, and go about their business when the community institution of the daily newspaper is no longer there. The town's daily local newspaper, the Del Rio News Herald, closed in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. My sources recounted to me the community's reaction to the closure of their local news outlet, how they communicate with the public and each other in the aftermath, and what impacts they think the lack of a local news environment has had on their town. The following report catalogs my findings. Del Rio's experience in the last three years encapsulates how when a local newspaper dies, replacing it is easier said than done. Alternative news outlets are still finding their footing, establishing connections, experimenting with distribution. Community leaders and local organizations have had to pivot to social media, email, and flyers to get the messages out to the community - messages they used to depend on the newspaper for. Lastly, without their daily dose of local information, Del Rio residents report feelings disconnected from each other and uninformed about their community.
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M.A.