All around the world, the local news organisations that report on municipal and regional governments are in decline. What does this mean for democracy?

In the first installment of the Global Journalist series with the Index on Censorship magazine, a look at news deserts in the U.S., silent zones in Mexico and a poll measuring the confidence of British journalists in their ability to hold the powerful to account.

Joining the programme:

*Rachael Jolley, editor, Index on Censorship, London
*Jan Fox, contributing editor, Index on Censorship, Los Angeles
*Stephen Woodman, contributing editor, Index on Censorship, Guadalajara

For Global Journalist:
Assistant producers: Seth Bodine, Lara Cumming, Michelle Stoddart
Supervising producer: Edom Kassaye
Visual editor: Megan Smaltz

Local and regional newspapers have dwindled all across the U.S. as print advertising revenues have shrunk. But the U.S. isn’t alone – there is a local news crisis happening all around the world.

In the second part of the Global Journalist series on the decline in local news with Index on Censorship magazine contributors, a look at the problem in India, Poland and Argentina. In these countries, traditional local news outlets face a host of problems: from populist governments to WhatsApp groups to advertising migrating online.

Joining the program:

*Rituparna Chatterjee, freelance reporter
*Adam Reichardt, editor-in-chief, New Eastern Europe
*Irene Caselli, contributing editor, Index on Censorship

For Global Journalist:
Host: Jason McLure
Producer: Edom Kassaye
Visual editor: Megan Smaltz
Studio production: Trevor Hook

Local newspapers have been eviscerated over the last 15 years as social media and the internet have destroyed their business model. Yet all is not doom and gloom.

In the third part of our series on the global crisis in local news with the Index on Censorship, a look at new business models to support local journalism as well as how robot reporters might yet save their human counterparts. We’ll also get a look at efforts to keep “deep fake” videos from going viral on the internet and further distorting our public conversation.

Joining the program:
*Raymond Joseph, journalist
*Sally Gimson, deputy editor, Index on Censorship
*Mark Frary, journalist and author

Producer: Edom Kassaye
Visual editor: Megan Smaltz

Index on Censorship partner Global Journalist is a website that features global press freedom and international news stories as well as a weekly radio program that airs on KBIA, mid-Missouri’s NPR affiliate, and partner stations in six other states. The website and radio show are produced jointly by professional staff and student journalists at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, the oldest school of journalism in the United States.

The spring 2019 issue of Index on Censorship magazine asks Is this all the local news? What happens if local journalism no longer holds power to account?

With: Libby Purves, Julie Posetti and Mark Frary