At UT, every student receives free access to The New York Times. It’s a perk that makes it easy to follow national conversations ranging from politics to economics, and shows students who are voting citizens and soon-to-be professionals that access matters. It gives them a reliable source of news to carry them through their college years.
Students come to Austin from across the state, country and world, but some never fully connect with what happens outside the Forty Acres. Without consistent attention to local outlets, students miss out on the issues shaping the very city and state they live in. From city council elections affecting housing policy to statewide education bills, local journalism covers the policies that affect us the most.
“The UT population is a significant portion of Austin’s greater population, and I think that student population needs to be heard on local issues, whether it’s transportation issues, West Campus, housing (or) safety issues,” said John Bridges, lecturer in the School of Journalism. “Students can’t participate if they’re not informed (about) what’s going on around town.”
Although local news is an elemental part of our civic identity, it isn’t regarded with the same urgency as national headlines by college students. Washington D.C. alerts flood our phones, but updates on Austin policy or information from city council are overlooked. When we graduate, many of us will carry that habit forward and default to national outlets while ignoring the stories that shape our daily lives. With fewer young people turning to local news, that disconnect is detrimental.
“The best way to be connected to your community (and) country is to be a good reader of the news,” said John Schwartz, professor of practice at the School of Journalism. “People who pay attention to the news vote intelligently and are connected to the events around them.”
There’s also a larger responsibility at stake as local journalism is under pressure nationwide. Across the country, thousands of newspapers have closed in the last two decades, creating news deserts where communities lose critical coverage of schools, city councils and elections. Because Texas is a predominantly rural state where many communities rely on the local news as their main source of information, that role is magnified.
From the Austin Chronicle to the Austin American-Statesman, Austin has been fortunate enough to sustain multiple outlets. However, Austin’s new PBS station — which offers internships and training opportunities for students while expanding the reach of local reporting — is under financial strain after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting.
The loss of local outlets doesn’t just mean fewer headlines, but fewer platforms amplifying community voices and holding leaders accountable. Local news leaves an impactful role on civic life; supporting these publications is essential if we want our communities — and ourselves — to stay informed.
“If I were not reading the Austin American-Statesman and Texas Tribune, I wouldn’t know what laws went into effect this week from the last legislative session,” said Diana Dawson, associate professor of instruction in the School of Journalism and founding director of the Moody Writing Support Program. “I wouldn’t know about Interstate-35 construction slowing my commute to campus. … I wouldn’t know about flood warnings and have the information about (the) resources available when big weather events are coming up locally.”
While some might argue that social media provides enough visibility towards local issues, online posts rarely offer depth, consistency or accountability. National coverage can teach us about federal politics and global issues, but it rarely explains why I-35 construction is endless or what policies are at stake in an Austin City Council election.
As a student body, we would benefit from broadening our media habits to include local coverage that amplifies underrepresented voices, gives visibility to overlooked stories and connects us more deeply to the community we live in. Paying attention is how we turn Austin from a place we pass through into a city we understand and belong to.
Vazquez is a journalism sophomore from Monterrey, Mexico.
