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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Alabamians struggle with limited local news access in rural communities

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Monday, December 11, 2023   

Alabama's local news landscape is experiencing a severe divide, leaving rural communities at a significant disadvantage.

The latest State of Local News report pointed out of the state's 67 counties, three have no news outlets, and 37 only have one, which means just over half of Alabamians in rural areas have access to limited news and information about their communities.

Penelope Muse Abernathy, visiting professor in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, said a lack of coverage can mean fewer eyes on critical developments, a lack of civic engagement and fewer avenues for individuals to be connected to the stories that matter most to them.

"We are losing an average of two and a half newspapers a week now," Abernathy observed. "By the end of 2024, next year, we will have lost a third of all newspapers. Most of those were weekly that served rural America."

She explained it is not an issue isolated to Alabama but is happening across the country with 204 counties having no news outlet and 228 having only one news source.

There is headway being made to tackle what are known as news deserts. She explained more than 20 nonprofit organizations plan to invest a total of $500 million over the next five years in local media organizations as part of the Press Forward initiative.

The report also highlighted the effects of limited high-speed internet in some areas on digital news outlets. Abernathy emphasized it increases reliance on national news leads to increased polarization. Therefore, Abernathy suggested considering incentives for entrepreneur investments and policies supporting sustainable business models in news. She argues it is essential to getting critical information out to people in a fair and impartial way.

"We need to think about strong news organizations at the local level not only nurturing democracy, but also nurturing community, which in an age of political polarization is vitally important," Abernathy stressed.

In addition to philanthropy efforts, the report suggested multiple ways to revitalize local news nationwide, including investments in broadband, supportive policies and initiatives, research and outreach at the university and industry levels.


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