For now, this is just a stack of bookmarks to stories about news deserts, “fake local” propaganda-for-profit sites, and small local sites to explore. I created this as a “page” in October 2020, then six months later had forgotten all about it and, out of frustration with layoffs at my local daily, went looking for alternatives and wrote a more streamlined blog post listing local Southwestern Virginia newspapers and sites with public information.
Encouraging developments in 2021:
Dusting off the all-but-ashes of The Roanoke Times and Richmond Times-Dispatch, experienced professional journalists have formed Cardinal News and The Roanoke Rambler, joining the Virginia Mercury in the Commonwealth’s not-for-profit news business. (Cardinal background.) Most of the state’s newspapers have lost staff, presence and reputation in the past decade of ownership by Berkshire-Hathaway and subsequently Lee Newspapers. Most recently (November 2021), Alden Capital, another company known for slashing and burning newspapers, made an offer for Lee six months after taking control of Tribune, which owns the state’s largest newspaper, The Virginian Pilot. on the coast in Norfolk, covering the Hampton Roads region.
Back to October 2020: Sorry that it is a bit of a jumble… I’m composing this with a new WordPress Android app and insertion of links in paragraphs is not what it used to be. Eventually I’ll open it on a full-size computer and do some editing.
… inspired by a New York Times story this week, late October 2020. I’d like to add some more about my area in Southwestern Virginia, which I have been writing about on Facebook but not in this blog.
As Local News Dies, a Pay-for-Play Network Rises in Its Place https://nyti.ms/349RruY
Here Are the Hundreds of Sites in a Pay-to-Play Local News Network https://nyti.ms/3m7NTQ6
Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there’s one near you.
October 2019
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/19/locality-labs-fake-news-local-sites-newspapers
Virginia and West Virginia smaller news sites & chains
Ashley Spinks on local coverage: https://swvatoday.com/floyd/article_4e30beb0-096c-11eb-995a-430326bedf4c.html (Sadly, this story led to public radio interviewing Ashley about the trials and tribulations of editing a small local paper for a national chain. She was so candid in the interview that she was fired.)
Mountain Media, W.V. & SwVa.
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Mountain-Media,-LLC/about?from=acme-wonder
OurValley.org (SW Virginia papers owned by Mountain Media, WV.)
June 4, 2020, closing of WV Daily News, according to Mountain Messenger
New version (new ownership & staff?) West Virginia Daily News – wvdn.com
Older version of WVDN at the Way Back Machine.
Non-profit news from Richmond
Progressive Chain, Acronym-linked
SwVirginia papers…
Lee Newspapers non-dailies https://swvatoday.com/
The shrinking Lee-owned Roanoke Times, Roanoke.com
And the Independence Declaration
Competition in Pulaski County
https://www.southwesttimes.com/
Virginian Leader, Giles County
Regional blogs
Email and Web Publishing sites
Floyd Forum, by Ashley Spinks Dugan
College papers
http://www.rutartan.com/wordpress/
Bob Stepno's Other Journalism 