On Thursday, April 9, newsrooms and communities across the country will mark Local News Day — a national day of action celebrating the trusted local news and information that helps communities stay informed and connected.
Local News Day is built around a simple idea: Start Local.
At a time when national headlines dominate our feeds, it’s easy to overlook the news taking place outside our doors. But the most important news is close to home: the decisions affecting local schools, the businesses opening downtown, the community events bringing neighbors together, and the policies shaping our towns.
That’s the work we have tried to cover every day since the Marblehead Current launched nearly four years ago.
Some recent examples:
As it became clear that Marblehead’s municipal budget was reaching a crossroads, the Current launched its “Overriding Considerations” series to help residents understand how the town got to this place where its library might be open less frequently and dozens of employees might lose their jobs. The series has illuminated the degree to which Marblehead is far from alone in confronting what the Massachusetts Municipal Association has dubbed a “perfect storm” of historic fiscal pressures.
We have and will continue to keep our ears open for the questions you want answered as the march to Town Meeting — and perhaps a June ballot question proposing a Proposition 2 1/2 override. One example: We began to hear rumblings that some believed that town leaders were engaging in “scare tactics” and that cuts outlined would not really happen if an override failed. Current Editor Leigh Blander stood up at a Select Board meeting and asked the board to address that sentiment.
While this space may weigh in with a recommendation once the specifics of the override proposal are known, the goal of the Current’s news coverage is different. As ever, the point has been not to advocate but to inform, giving residents the tools they need to make the best possible decisions, even in challenging circumstances.
Local news also helps us stay connected and celebrate the stories that make our home unique. There is no better recent example than when the community came together the weekend before last to cheer on courageous JJ Weiss as he saved Marblehead from the nefarious villain “Triple Z” — a Make-A-Wish dream come true for the 4-year-old who has been battling medulloblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
It is said that local news outlets hold a mirror up to their communities, and on March 29, everyone who participated — from the members of the Marblehead Police Department who joined forces with JJ, to the local businesses who hosted his “missions,” to the 400 people who gathered at Seaside Park to celebrate the young crusader — revealed themselves to be the “fairest of them all.” It was a privilege to be able to document such a special day in Marblehead.
In the days ahead, we plan to continue to honor the spirit of Local News Day by giving readers opportunities to engage more directly with members of your local newsroom. Be on the lookout later this spring for a reader survey, along with a cafe-style event where we plan to do more listening than talking.
Local news works best when it’s part of the fabric of the community it serves. Every reader, tip, conversation and donation helps make that possible.
So today, we invite you to do one simple thing: Start Local.
Read a local story. Share it with a neighbor. Support the newsrooms working to keep your community informed.
