Democracy in Our Communities Depend on Local Newspapers
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
The loss of three local weekly newspapers, the Scarsdale Inquirer, the Rivertowns Enterprise and the Bedford Record-Review, is a setback for democracy.
These local publications provided area residents with important information about the community. The election coverage they provided made it easier for non-incumbent candidates to get known and for their concerns to be taken seriously. They sent reporters to meetings of school, town and village boards, giving residents information about controversial issues.
The scrutiny and investigative reporting of all government entities helps keep government more honest. The letters to the editor offered readers the opportunity to air their commentaries about topics of interest to the community. And they covered sports, entertainment, the arts and profiled interesting residents.
I am very appreciative of the efforts of a former opponent of mine, Lucas Cioffi, who is leading the effort to find a way to either save these publications or to encourage the launch of new weekly print newspapers.
Mr. Cioffi, along with Sandra Nam, QiqoChat and the Westchester Youth Congress, organized a very impressive virtual community meeting on Feb. 1 that was attended by more than 300 residents. The virtual meeting encouraged the community to think of creative initiatives that could help a new local weekly publication survive. The meeting was democracy at its best – informative with excellent ideas presented. Everyone who wanted to speak had an opportunity to express themselves.
After the meeting, detailed minutes and follow-up progress report e-mails were sent to participants. I’m hopeful that independent local journalism will continue to be an important part of our community in the future.
If a new weekly newspaper gets off the ground, Cioffi deserves lots of credit for leading the way. I’d also like to thank him for his efforts in recent years advocating for pedestrian safety improvements in the town and for organizing the Westchester Youth Congress to involve students in our democracy. Democracy depends on oversight, citizen participation and respect for different ideas. Cioffi is making a positive difference in our community.
Paul Feiner
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
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