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Reporting does make a difference

By Brigitte Alfter

BRUSSELS 20/02/2009 - Independent news matter, argues Eduardo Porter in an editorial at the New York Times. "The argument that if newspapers go bust there will be nobody covering city hall is true. It’s also true that corruption will rise, legislation will more easily be captured by vested interests and voter turnout will fall," he writes.

Porter lists a long row of examples from all over the world. Again and again academics aswell as general knowledge proove: Good news coverage matters. In the US the vote turnout among Spanish-speakers is higher in those regions, where Spanish-language news are available. In countries with a larger newspaper circulation, companies have a better record on environmental concerns.

Reporting the news in far-flung countries, spending weeks on investigations of uncertain payoff, fighting for freedom of information in court — is expensive. Virtually the only entities still doing it on the necessary scale are newspapers. Letting them go on the expectation that the Internet will enable a better-informed citizenry seems like a risky bet.

Read Eduardo Porters article at New York Times Opinion.