Description
Book SynopsisAmerican Deadline brings together dispatches from four longtime local journalists in different parts of the United States that tell the story of 2020 anew.
Trade ReviewAmerican Deadline offers a fresh and unique chronicle of a year we’ll never forget—2020—through the lens of four communities where newspapers have weakened or vanished. These dispatches from the front lines of democracy—communities in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia—remind us of what's lost when Americans have only national (and increasingly partisan) news sources.
American Deadline reminds us that local news is never more needed than in a crisis like a pandemic. We need local news not just to hold local officials accountable but to provide a more nuanced, textured view of politics from the ground up. Communities across America have been starved of reliable local news. This book vividly illustrates the dire consequences for our democracy. -- Sewell Chan, editor in chief of
The Texas TribuneFor those of us trying to bolster local news in the U.S.,
American Deadline offers more compelling evidence for why this coverage matters. In a series of astute, nuanced dispatches, four veteran journalists describe the same year in the life of their disparate communities after their local newsroom has withered or died. Critical elections with no candidate coverage. Rampant Covid misinformation. No government watchdogs. This is front-line reporting that’s a must read. -- Kim Kleman, executive director, Report for America
Well-written and comprehensive,
American Deadline is a fascinating look at how the tensions that are tearing us apart at the national level also affect community life. -- Dan Kennedy, author of
The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century[A] unique and often heart-wrenching collaboration . . . the reporting is consistently fine-grained, evocative, and insightful. It’s a fitting testament to the value of local journalism. * Publishers Weekly *
[This book] serves as a valuable resource for those unfamiliar with the lived experiences within news deserts or areas impacted by the decline of local news, while also complementing the growing body of academic work in the space. Above all, the authors compellingly demonstrate that the loss of local news profoundly affects readers. * Journalism *
Those who believe that introspection is the path to progress — as I do — will be captivated by this book. -- Larry Fennelly * Macon Telegraph *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction, by Michael Shapiro
1. The Mystery of Caroline County, Virginia (Bowling Green)
2. What’s Vexing Macon, Georgia? (Macon)
3. Red Streets versus Blue Streets in McKeesport, Pennsylvania (McKeesport)
4. Fighting the Wall Along the Rio Grande (McAllen)
5. Are Democrats an Endangered Species in Caroline County? (Bowling Green)
6. Yes, Dorothy, We Are Way Outside the Beltway (Macon)
7. Fear and Loathing in the Time of Coronavirus (McKeesport)
8. In the Rio Grande Valley, a Border Closes, and Signs of a Wall Appear as the Pandemic Spreads (McAllen)
9. The Ghost of a Weekly Covers the Pandemic (Bowling Green)
10. Standing on Sinking Sand, Living in Limbo (Macon)
11. Transparency in a Time of Pandemic (McKeesport)
12. COVID-19 Has Changed How We Report Stories on the Border (McAllen)
13. How the Pandemic Is Playing in Rural Virginia (Bowling Green)
14. A Good Idea at the Time (Macon)
15. In Towns Like McKeesport, the Future Was Already Precarious. Then Came Coronavirus. (McKeesport)
16. Saving Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge Extends Beyond Political Boundaries (McAllen)
17. At the Edge of a Pandemic, Its Direction Unknown (Bowling Green)
18. Dirty Politics in the Digital Age (Macon)
19. How Facebook Has Undermined Communal Conversation in McKeesport (McKeesport)
20. South Texas Was Reopening. Now COVID-19 Is Roaring Back. (McAllen)
21. Racism, Confederate Statues, and the View from Frog Level, Virginia (Bowling Green)
22. Macon–Bibb County Votes While a Nation Protests (Macon)
23. “McAllen and South Texas Need Help Now” (McAllen)
24. When a Newspaper Dies, What Fills the Void? (Bowling Green)
25. To School or Not to School—a Burning Question (Macon)
26. What Will “Normal” Mean After COVID-19? (McKeesport)
27. South Texas Is a Bad Algorithm Right Now (McAllen)
28. In Rural Virginia, a Tale of Two Congressional Districts (Bowling Green)
29. A Local Election, School Reopenings, and the Pandemic (Macon)
30. Will Western Pennsylvania Become a String of Ghost Towns? (McKeesport)
31. Where Are the Campaign Signs and the
Politiqueras? (McAllen)
32. A Confederate Soldier Moves On (Bowling Green)
33. Macon–Bibb County and the Unrelenting Shock of COVID-19 (Macon)
34. Will the Sons of Steelworkers See Trump’s COVID-19 Behavior as Strong or Reckless? (McKeesport)
35. Counting on Next Year Being Much Better (McAllen)
36. Election Day Approaches
Postscript: January 20, 2021
Index
