Community papers' coverage of drug violations discourages abuse, study finds

Areas with a community newspaper typically have fewer drug-related arrests, according to a study published in the winter issue of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

"Community newspapers function to foster a perception of close-knit cohesive communities," and the greater their penetration into a market, the more civic engagement a community has, the researchers write. Civic engagement leads to a sense of belonging, which results in fewer drug-related arrests, they found.

"Community newspapers promote civic engagement by highlighting the characters and activities of local residents and institutions, fostering affective attachment to community, presenting information that helps participate in community events and activities, and cultivating common values in pursuit of social goods," the researchers write. "Communities with such information resources tend to develop voluntary participation."

The study examined a nationally representative sample of 389 counties in 24 states, chosen at random to represent the nation's four main regions. It used information from the federal Uniform Crime Reporting Program and defined "community newspaper" as one with a circulation of less than 50,000. The authors are Masahiro Yamamoto of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Weina Ran of Washington State University. To read their full report, click here. A subscription may be required.

Communtiy journallism and "big-city" TV: A case of corruption in West Virginia

This story from Columbia Journalism Review is about how a West Virginia TV station reported, using anonymous sources, that officials in a rural county were facing indictment while the local paper editorialized against naming names until the indictments.

The indictments have come down, and it provides an interesting teaching moment about the contrasts and the different frame in which community media operate.

Texas community journalism center hopes justice stories spur local papers

This release came in recently from the Texas Center for Community Journalism. Might give ideas for those in other states as well:
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The Texas Center for Community Journalism has made two new investigative series available free of charge to Texas newspapers and their websites.

             Both series are written by Kathy Cruz, reporter for the Hood County News in Granbury and consultant in investigative reporting for TCCJ.  Both series are underwritten by the Hood County News and the Center.

            One series, Justice for All, investigates the fairness of the Texas criminal justice system, especially in cases that deal with indigent defense.  Stories in that series examine the quality of legal services in Texas and the impact of the justice system on those who are accused of crimes, as well as the impact on their families.  The other series, Routier Revisited:  Was Darlie Unjustly Convicted?, looks at one of the state’s most celebrated murder convictions, which sent a Rockwall mother of three to death row following a conviction for killing two of her children.  The case spawned TV documentaries and books, and now has many observers questioning the police investigation and the trial.

            Both series have been uploaded, along with art and logos, for use by community journalists in Texas.  The Justice for All series is available at http://digital.community-journalism.net/projects/justiceforall
.  The Darlie Routier series is available at http://digital.community-journalism.net/projects/routier.

            Tommy Thomason, director of the Center, said he hopes Texas newspapers will go beyond just printing the Justice for All series especially.

            “We want newspapers to look this series over and get ideas for their own investigations,” he said.  “We hope papers will run their own stories on the quality of the justice system in their coverage area and send them to us.  We will upload those stories alongside the ones Kathy Cruz has written.”

            Jerry Tidwell, publisher of the Hood County News, said the projects are important for Texas community journalism.

“Community newspapers typically do not have the staff and the resources to take in-depth looks at statewide issues,” Tidwell said. “This is a way to help them and, in the process, provide a service to the people of Texas.”

Harrisburg paper broke Penn State story in March; reporter calls it 'huge testament to local news'

Uncovering the story of a former Penn State football coach's alleged rapes of boys "was all local journalism," Harrisburg Patriot-News reporter Sara Ganim told Howard Kurtz this morning on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

"Its a huge testament to local news," Ganim, a 24-year-old Penn State journalism graduate told Kurtz, who initially referred to the 71,000-circulation Advance Publications newspaper as "The News-Patriot." Ganim said, "It was all local journalism, going to my sources. ... I spent a lot of time knocking on doors and getting shooed off properties."

Ganim said the newspaper "did have some pushback" to her stories that first reported the investigation, starting March 31, but "I actually expected a lot more than we got. . . . For the most part people were happy that we were bringing this out." The stories didn't get much play beyond Pennsylvania until ex-coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted this month, perhaps because they were based on interviews with people who had testified before a grand jury, reporting that was difficult for non-local media to match, Ganim said.

The story of Sara Ganim "is also the story of a family-owned media company, Advance, of a second-generation newspaper editor, David Newhouse, of a publisher, John Kirkpatrick, who understands what a newspaper means to a community, and of a newsroom that has the deep local connections and also the courage to keep going no matter what the potential cost to its own reputation," Carl Lavin writes on his 07newsroom blog.

For Ganim's original story, click here. For her latest summary, focusing on authority figures and "What did they know and when did they know it?" go here. Her last-Sunday story about why the probe took so long is here.