As a journalist, I was always most interested in two of the Pulitzer Prizes -- public service and local reporting – because they pointed toward the gist of journalism and even smallish papers could be awarded (i.e., the Bristol, Va., Herald Courier in 2010 and the Torrance, Calif., Daily Breeze in 2015).
That’s my segue into Wednesday’s League of Women Voters Orange County Hot Topics , “How the Loss of Local Journalism Impacts Democracy.”
According to the New York Times, one in five local papers has closed in the past 15 years – or, in short, there goes your local government watchdog.