Opinion: Celebrating local journalism

Also: President Trump doesn’t care if you’re guilty. He cares if you’re his friend. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, November 21, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist “Community journalism is the lifeblood of democracy,” Diane McFarlin, the dean of the journalism school at the University of Florida, told me this week, “and very much at risk these days.” She’s right. The number of reporters covering statehouses has dropped by more than one-third since 2000, for example. And academic studies have found a raft of problems to be associated with a decline of local journalism, as [The Columbia Journalism Review has detailed](. The problems include less informed voters, lower voter turnout and higher borrowing costs for local governments — because, without anyone to hold them accountable, those governments become less responsible. It is something of [a Thanksgiving tradition]( for this newsletter to celebrate some of the fantastic local journalism that is still being done. This week, I asked people on Twitter and the deans of several journalism schools to recommend great local work from 2018. Much of it involves what David Kurpius, the University of Missouri’s journalism dean, calls “the watchdog function.” The list is not comprehensive, of course, and I invite you to send me other examples, at leonhardt@nytimes.com. I’ll mention a few more in Friday’s newsletter. In the meantime, how can you support local journalism? I’ll also address that more fully on Friday, but the answer isn’t complicated: Subscribe — or otherwise support — a local media organization that you think is doing good work. Local journalism is not simply a collection of stories, as Kurpius told me: “Local journalism helps describe the fabric of a community that gives a sense of place. In some ways, it is how we know our neighbors and fellow citizens.” Here is that list: - “[Payday lender made 3 international trips with ex-Ohio House speaker]( by Laura Bischoff, The Dayton Daily News. - “[In rural Missouri, response to sexual assault is uneven and uncertain]( by Anna Brett and Tessa Weinberg, The Columbia Missourian. - “[How Texas lets Atmos Energy off the hook]( by Holly Hacker and Cary Aspinwall, The Dallas Morning News. - “[Fight Club: Dark secrets of Florida’s juvenile justice system]( an investigation by The Miami Herald. - “[How South Carolina’s ‘minimally adequate’ education system fails too many students]( by Paul Bowers, Glenn Smith, Seanna Adcox, Jennifer Berry Hawes and Thad Moore, The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C. - “[Side Effects: An ongoing investigation on the rising costs of prescription drugs]( by The Columbus Dispatch. - “[Influence & Injustice: An investigation into the power of prosecutors]( by Josh Salman, Andrew Pantazi and Michael Braga, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. - “[The search for Jackie Wallace]( by Ted Jackson of The Times-Picayune of New Orleans (the story of a football legend who disappeared). - “[‘My World Was Burning': The North Bay fires and what went wrong]( by Sukey Lewis, Marisa Lagos and Lisa Pickoff-White of the public radio station KQED in Northern California. - “[Meet the Glasscos: Lesbian foster parents in the Bible Belt]( by Katherine Webb-Hehn, Scalawag Magazine. - “[Targeted: A family and the quest to stop the next school shooter]( by Bethany Barnes, The Oregonian. - Finally, I want to give special mention to the journalists at The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., who have continued to report after [five of their colleagues]( were murdered by a gunman in their newsroom. Those five colleagues were Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters. Brute power. Yesterday brought two more examples of President Trump rejecting basic American values that had long guided presidents of both parties. The news broke that he wanted the Justice Department [to prosecute]( Hillary Clinton and James Comey — as if the law were nothing more than a tool that the powerful use to punish their enemies. And he made clear that he wouldn’t punish Saudi Arabia for murdering a dissident, surrendering America’s usual claims of global leadership. “This is a shocking statement from the president that gives comfort and encouragement to dictators and cedes the moral authority of the United States,” tweeted [Dan Balz of The Washington Post]( who’s not normally given to such language. In The Times, my colleague [Tom Friedman]( writes, “Trump has chosen to give M.B.S. a pass, using the same language he did with Russian President Vladimir Putin” after American intelligence agencies determined that Putin had interfered in the election. [The Editorial Board]( says that the president is standing up for Saudi Arabian values. The full Opinion report follows, including [Joseph Kelly]( on what’s missing from the traditional Thanksgiving story. [Trump Stands Up for Saudi Arabian Values]( Daniel Zender By THE EDITORIAL BOARD He disregarded the C.I.A.’s conclusions and American values in swallowing the Saudi version of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. From Our Columnists [Trump’s Black Friday Sale: Oil, Guns and Morals]( By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The president will sacrifice America’s moral standing for a grotesque blood-for-money transaction. [Politics Isn’t Pretty. But Politicians Are.]( By FRANK BRUNI And now for a shallow — but honest — take on the midterms. [What Our Thanksgiving Story Has Left Out]( [The disembarkment of the Puritan settlers in North America, landing off the Mayflower. (1864, Wood engraving Cosson and Smeeton after the the painting by Antonio Gisbert)]( The disembarkment of the Puritan settlers in North America, landing off the Mayflower. (1864, Wood engraving Cosson and Smeeton after the the painting by Antonio Gisbert) Photo 12/UIG, via Getty Images By JOSEPH KELLY Not everyone confessed the Puritan creed at the first gathering of what would become our national holiday. Maybe we don’t have the pilgrims alone to thank for democracy. [Will Amazon Ruin or Revitalize New York City?]( By JENNY SCHUETZ AND ELIZABETH GOLDSTEIN New York’s not ready for Amazon’s HQ2, but here’s how the city can get there. Listen to [“The Argument” podcast]( every Thursday morning, with Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and David Leonhardt. ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [True Islam Does Not Kill Blasphemers]( By MUSTAFA AKYOL The Quran has 6,236 verses, none of which tell the faithful to stifle blasphemy by force. [Happy Birthday, Muhammad]( By HAROON MOGHUL The prophet was an outsider. Just like me. [Some Favorites About Thanksgiving]( Gracia Lam By KATHLEEN O’BRIEN What is it that makes this simple holiday so special? Disability [A Clearer Message on Cochlear Implants]( By SARA NOVIC Portrayals of this technology as a “miracle” for deaf people overlook its potential downsides and challenges. We’ve got more newsletters! You might like Frank Bruni’s newsletter.  Go beyond the headlines and behind the curtain with Frank Bruni’s candid reflections on politics, culture, higher education and more every week. [Sign up for Frank Bruni’s email.](  ADVERTISEMENT Letters [Should Democrats Stick With Pelosi?]( One reader urges older Democrats to step aside, while two others hope that the former House speaker will be the next one, too. 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