Unbiased reporting has never existed in the history of the US press, and likely never will. The very decision to publish or not publish story inserts a little bias. The press can't possibly cover everything, so they have to decide what should be printed, and it's not always a straightforward decision.
40 years ago, there were several nationally recognized publications (NYT, WaPo, WSJ, etc.), and all of them had a bias. NYT editorial leaned left, WSJ editorial leaned right, and everyone knew this. The political leaning was baked into brand of the publication.
This all changed in the internet era. The collapse of print advertising decimated the industry. Publications became more incentivized to publish questionable reporting because clickbaity headlines brought more ad traffic. The Trump campaign was covered ad nauseum because having his name in a headline significantly increased traffic to an article, and thus revenue.
The online advertising model is fundamentally incompatible with the kind of journalism you're looking for, but we as a society are hooked on it because it means we don't have to pay for the content.
Papers like the NYT, WP and WSJ are doing ok. It's the local ones that are dying or getting bought out and gutted.
This is a big problem, because no one else sits through those hours of local meetings that mean so much to our cities in terms of transportation, housing, schools and so on.
Second that opinion. Local media is crucially important. Not least as it serves as a public record in an edited and readable form, moreover, most journalists at the “big” papers also have a background in local press. That’s where you learn the ropes and the craft of reporting.
Not true. Television stations have reporters. Radio stations have reporters. Some are for-profit, some are public. They report on local meetings. Websites are cropping up that have reporters that cover local matters:
Maryland Public Television sends three reporters, plus an anchor and all the associated production staff, to cover the Maryland General Assembly each year. They sit through the hours of debates. They interview lawmakers.
The newspaper never was the only source of local news, and now more than ever there are places to get local news if people bother to look.
40 years ago, there were several nationally recognized publications (NYT, WaPo, WSJ, etc.), and all of them had a bias. NYT editorial leaned left, WSJ editorial leaned right, and everyone knew this. The political leaning was baked into brand of the publication.
This all changed in the internet era. The collapse of print advertising decimated the industry. Publications became more incentivized to publish questionable reporting because clickbaity headlines brought more ad traffic. The Trump campaign was covered ad nauseum because having his name in a headline significantly increased traffic to an article, and thus revenue.
The online advertising model is fundamentally incompatible with the kind of journalism you're looking for, but we as a society are hooked on it because it means we don't have to pay for the content.