SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS MEDIA
Whether or not I get anywhere in my somewhat Quixotic campaign for mayor, I intend to do my best to have at least some positive influence on the city along the way.
One of the most important things I’d like to communicate to the citizens of San Francisco is that it is the direct interest of all of us to have a robust and profitable local news media here.
A recent study by Brookings shows that less local news has been linked to more government corruption, less-competitive elections and weaker municipal finances.
We all need to directly support our remaining sources of local news and journalism. And that means with money – both subscriptions and with eyeballs.
I myself maintain a subscription to the Chronicle and to KQED public television. And I urge every adult citizen of the city to do the same. Even if you don’t, for example, follow the Chronicle all that closely, it’s imperative that we all work together to keep it well funded, so that in turn they can afford to employ a good investigative journalism staff.
To some it may sound a little weird to send money to a for-profit company whose service you might not really use that much. But our local news media is not just another for-profit company. Their work investigating and reporting local stories and issues enhances, enriches and helps ensure the security of our entire community. And that directly affects all of us.
As an example of my logic around this idea – I also send $10 a month to Khan Academy (KA). KA’s role in helping to educate and elevate young people has a direct and tangible effect on our society. As a family we got involved with KA when our kids were young and starting off in school. It was a very helpful to them at various points along their educational journey. These days my kids don’t really make much use of KA anymore, but I still continue to send them a Hamilton every month because I believe it strengthens our society to help make such a well-done educational tool available to everyone and anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
And this is the kind of logic I’m trying to sell here. As a modern 21st century citizen you may get the bulk of your news online, from Facebook or TikTok or something else in between. But I believe that it’s imperative that we all also carve out a little budget and at least a little time to directly consume and help support our local news sources.
By the way, in case you’re curious, here’s where I get my news and who I support in the news media:
In addition to the Chronicle and KQED I maintain paid ongoing subscriptions to –
- The Guardian
- The New York Times
- Bloomberg
I give eyeball time to –
- The San Francisco Standard
- KPIX (usually in the morning, while making breakfast)
- The Score (for sports news)
- Associated Press (via their app)
- Reuters (via their app)
- Politico (via their app)
And I give regular ear time to KNBR, for sports news and commentary. Although it can be excruciating to sit through their endless advertising blocks that ceaselessly run the same set of 5 inane commercials over, and over, and over … Often I just can’t take it.
One last thing – I want to take this opportunity to declare that, in my humble opinion, the Chronicle sports department is excellent. If you read my bio you know that I have lived in other metropolitan areas in my time, so I am in a position to compare and contrast on this topic. The Chronicle’s sports department is, in a word – excellent. Such good writers, writing such good stuff. Not that I always agree with their every assertion, but I do eagerly look forward to reading their work.
So if you’re not much for following the local news, but you do like sports, I’d suggest that the Chronicle sports section is justification enough for sending them a little cash each month.