The Decline of Local Newspapers and Participation in Local Politics

• In Event: Poster Session: Urban Politics & International Order, Environmental Issues, and IPE
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Urban Politics

Abstract

I use data on US newspaper entry and exits from the media landscape to estimate its effects on political participation in local elections. Prior work has found evidence that the number of newspapers in a municipality can impact turnout in national elections, but scholars have yet to test this on the local level. I hypothesize that local newspapers are pivotal to informing voters and counteracting the high costs of voting in local elections, which often see very low levels of turnout. I draw on local election data from Ohio and California and find that newspaper closures depress turnout. I then discuss the implications and future direction of this research.

Author

• Sean Ewing, Florida Gulf Coast University