Christian journalists tell Christianity Today: Believers should believe journalists, and care about the survival of local news

"Saving local media outlets is a way to love your neighbor" is Christianity Today's headline over an Angela Lu Fulton story reporting, "Christians are fighting to revive community-centered journalism."

"Organizations, politicians, and local citizens are starting to see the consequences of the demise of local media: a less-informed public, less accountability for local officials, less civic engagement, and a weakening sense of community," writes Fulton, organizer of the Reforming Journalism Project, a training for Christians interested in local journalism and CT’s incoming Southeast Asia editor.

This illustration by Rick Szuecs accompanies Fulton's story.

Her main example is John Garrett, who founded the successful Community Impact chain of free suburban newspapers in Texas.

"Garrett argues believers should care about the survival of local news because God is the author of truth and shining a light on wrongdoing, highlighting the good work of everyday people, and informing voters help a community thrive," Fulton writes. "Local news can also help Christians love their neighbors better as they learn about who those neighbors are and the struggles they face, said Mike Orren of the Dallas Morning News. He pointed to the times when readers have rallied to help individuals down on their luck after their stories were featured in the news."

Fulton offers testimonies from other journalists, including Rob Vaughn, an anchor at WFMZ, an independently owned television station covering the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.

"When friends complain to Vaughn that journalists are often politically liberal, Vaughn agrees, but argues that it doesn’t mean they don’t tell the truth or they don’t have something worth listening to. He’s concerned that as Christians push away mainstream media, they become more susceptible to disinformation." Amen!