Zanna Anderson
Managing Editor
I read the news. At least, I try to read the news when I have the time and the mental fortitude. There is so much information available in the world from so many different sources that it can be a truly exhausting endeavor to gain enough knowledge about current events that individuals know how to meaningfully express their acceptance or frustration with said news. Especially as a college student with limited funds and free time, I struggle with finding accessible routes to activism that I feel truly have an impact. I believe this feeling is a common sentiment in modern politics as the presidential office appears to wield power — in a manner I would call irresponsible at best — without any consequences.
To be clear, I am not asking for an effortless means of political engagement as I believe engagement with politics requires engagement with one’s own beliefs, which is not effortless and should require serious thought. What I am asking for is reporting that includes recommendations on how to engage with the entities involved in the current event. For example, in articles about how Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and reduced-price school meal programs have been defunded, the news agency could link resources on how individuals can combat food insecurity in their communities. These recommendations would be especially powerful in the hands of local news agencies as these articles can connect individuals with local organizations that can make specific recommendations as they intimately know the needs of the communities they are based in. For example, if an article about how SNAP and reduced-price school meal programs have been defunded were to run in a Wooster publication, then it could include ways to contact food banks or contact Wooster’s Lasagna Love chapter. The paper could also perhaps work with the public school system to find a way for individuals to sponsor students’ meal funds.
This is, of course, an idealistic worldview to hold, especially as local news agencies continue to die off as described in Rick Goldsmith’s documentary “Stripped for Parts.” Local service organizations are also struggling as government grants are much more difficult to come by. Despite the circumstances, I feel as though advocating for solution-focused journalism is still a valiant effort, for I believe it can give people hope, a most valuable resource in today’s world. There is also a chance that an alliance between local news agencies and local charities/organizations could provide mutual benefit to these struggling institutions. A hypothetical situation could be increased support for a charity after the new agency runs an article that includes a recommendation to connect with the charity. People could then feel satisfied about their community engagement and would continuously buy editions of the local newspaper so they could know more ways to be involved and become even more satisfied and helpful. Once again, this is idealistic, but I believe even just a little hope in today’s world can go a long way.
