Live discussions

Why is journalism failing democracy?

In rich countries, local media is struggling to survive. The people who produce and consume the news are increasingly elites living in big cities. Why is this happening, what does it mean for democracy and what can we do about it?

7 October 2021, 12.01am

Hear from:

Nikki Usher Senior fellow, Center for Journalism and Liberty, Open Markets Institute; associate professor in journalism, University of Illinois; author of ‘News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism’ (2021), ‘Interactive Journalism: Hackers, Data, and Code’ (2016) and ‘Making News at The New York Times’ (2014)
Jonathan Heawood Executive director of the Public Interest News Foundation, senior research fellow at Stirling University and author of ‘The Press Freedom Myth’
Peter Geoghegan Editor-in-chief, openDemocracy
Mary Fitzgerald Director of information democracy, Open Society Foundations; former editor-in-chief, openDemocracy

Related story

US newspapers.jpg
Nikki Usher offers a remarkable reimagining of the media ecosystem – and insights on how ‘news deserts’ could bloom again

Related story

TrumpJan.png
Lawmakers demand action as openDemocracy reveals global spread of false and “manipulative” activities, posing “grave risks” to women and democracy.

Related story

lead Jim Mellon, Nigel Farage, Arron Banks
Jim Mellon introduced Brexit ‘bad boys’ Nigel Farage and Arron Banks, and was a Leave.EU ambassador. He claims he hasn’t been involved in Russia since the 1990s. But our investigation shows he still has major financial exposure to Russian investments.
Had enough of ‘alternative facts’? openDemocracy is different Join the conversation: get our weekly email

Comments

We encourage anyone to comment, please consult the oD commenting guidelines if you have any questions.
Audio available Bookmark Check Language Close Comments Download Facebook Link Email Newsletter Newsletter Play Print Share Twitter Youtube Search Instagram WhatsApp yourData