Study to see if shift to Internet for news means citizens know less about their communities

"As people turn increasingly to the Internet for their news, there is concern whether they are learning enough about what goes on in their communities," so the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Aspen Institute "are setting up a commission, funded by the foundation, to analyze whether people are getting the local news they need to make decisions in their communities," reports The Associated Press.

With “the thinning down of newspapers and local television in America, there is measurably less local, civic information available,” Knight CEO Alberto Ibarguen said. "The panel will make recommendations that might include actions by the Federal Communications Commission or tax policies aimed at helping communities better meet their information needs," AP's Jennifer Kerr reports. "The commission, expected to run for about a year, will be funded by $1.7 million in grants from Knight."

The commission chairs will be former solicitor general Ted Olson and Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience at Google. "About a dozen other members, including those with a journalism background, will be chosen," Kerr reports. (Read more)