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#1: Protect your town

Research shows the mere presence of a watchdog reporter keeps public officials in line. This is especially true as聽local TV news becomes more homogenized.听Want a more transparent, accountable government or fewer backroom deals? The pen holds power.听

#2: Preserve the past

Local news doesn鈥檛 just chronicle events 鈥� it captures the values and priorities of a community. It鈥檚 less about recording the annual tomato festival, more about offering future generations a chance to know 鈥� and learn from 鈥� their elders.听

#3: Build community

In places where local outlets thrive, neighbors tend to be more, well, neighborly. Think higher levels of trust and a shared sense of identity. One Blue Hen strengthening those communal bonds: Allison Taylor Levine, graduate alumna from the Class of 2003, founder, publisher and CEO of Spotlight Delaware.听

#4: Boost civic engagement聽

When people have access to solid local reporting, they鈥檙e more likely to attend meetings and to vote 鈥� not just for a political party, but for the candidate who represents their interests. Participation goes up; polarization, down.听聽

#5: Invest in the truth

Fake news! Clickbait! Sensationalism! Whatever your gripe with the media, supporting local journalism insulates you and your community. As the foundation, robust community-based reporting helps ensure the health of the entire information system.听聽聽聽

#6: Enjoy literary craft

Local journalism can be a narrative tour de force聽鈥� voice-driven and emotionally attuned. Consider the work of Doug Donovan, Class of 1993, and Lloyd Fox, Class of 1988, who won a Local Reporting Pulitzer for exposing a Netflix-worthy mayoral scandal in the Baltimore Sun.

#7: Have fun!

Major networks aren鈥檛 covering dustups at the pickleball court鈥� or why there鈥檚 a goat loose on Main Street. Local outlets capture those humorous, absurd, colorful, fully human moments that make a place 鈥� your place 鈥� feel alive.