Aami Sejpal at The Student Life:
On Friday, Sept. 27, students and community members gathered at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) to hear from veteran journalists about the importance of local news and the struggles currently plaguing the industry. The panel discussion, titled “Challenges to Local Journalism,” was co-sponsored by CMC’s Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum and the Dreier Roundtable (DRT).
The panelists included CalMatters Board Member Jeff Klein CM ’75, former U.S. Representative David Dreier CM ’75, LA Reported’s Founding Editor Scott Woolley CM ’92, and the Claremont Courier’s Editor-In-Chief Mick Rhodes. The panel was moderated by CMC Professor of International Journalism Terril Jones.
During the panel, Jones explained how local news serves as the foundation of American journalism because it amplifies the perspectives of communities and connects them to local institutions such as school boards and city halls.
However, according to Rhodes, the shift to social media as a source of information has led to a decrease in the popularity of local newspapers. He commented on how his newsroom has continually shrunk over time.
“As of today, there is one other reporter on staff besides myself as the editor,” Rhodes said. “We try to cover events in the community to the best of our ability but we simply don’t have the staff or resources at our disposal to do it all.”
Dreier then argued that the growing consumer demand for information and the increased usage of AI could create opportunities for the growth of local news. He explained that the dissemination of fake news, deepfakes and AI generated images, video or audio has brought the attention back to local newspapers to provide legitimate and community-oriented information.
“They are truly public servants,” Dreier said, describing journalists.
DRT Student Fellow Julius Skestos PZ ’25 highlighted the significance of the panel’s topic, speaking on its importance, considering a recent decline in trust in the media.
“Journalism is a big part of the Dreier Roundtable’s culture,” Skestos said. “I think in light of the attacks on journalism, it’s very important to hear from different perspectives.”
The discussion then shifted to how local newspapers could help fill information gaps. Klein explained how CalMatters was founded in response to the lack of coverage of the California State Legislature.
He described how today, local publications often depend on the goodwill of donors to stay in operation. However, he noted that it’s easy to lose this support if a newspaper publishes something that conflicts with the donors’ opinions or actions.
“If you don’t like it then you have the right to not donate,” Klein said. “But it doesn’t mean that you get to control what we say.”
Woolley proposed a switch to a model that relies on individual subscribers instead of philanthropy from sponsors, saying that this would allow a newspaper to no longer have to worry about jeopardizing funding sources.
“I think there’s an opportunity now to develop a new editorial model that is married with a new economic model that will actually succeed,” Woolley said. “It will reward in-depth journalism.”
After the panel concluded, attendees took time to reflect on the discussion and the importance of local journalism.
“The 5Cs community tends to live in a bubble,” Kendall White PO ’27 said. “So it’s important to hear from a variety of local voices and be critical.”