THREAD: One thing I've been thinking about for a while is how the commodification and pageview focus of community news has really hurt non-profits, community groups and the general sense of togetherness. 1/

Non-profits and community groups rely on local news to get info out about various events & programs. But feature reporting has been disappearing as companies shift strategies (and axe reporters). And readers don't like clicking links to generic write-ups community happening. 2/

Good features get read, but take significant time. And when you're just trying to keep your head above water with pressing news, there isn't the time to do them. And headlines for non-feature community items just don't entice large proportion of readers to click 3/

People will read items if they happen upon them, but they just don't click on the headlines. They make an instant *guess* of whether they'll care about it. Usually the answer is no. The result is a diminished awareness of all sorts of important community programs and events. 4/

5/ Businesses and politicians sometimes complain about not getting more attention from their local media. But both are partly to blame: if media had more money, they could pay more reporters, and those reporters would have time for non-emergency reporting.

6/ Charities (at least those that operate largely thanks to the work of volunteers) are less culpable. They're kind of up a creek. Sure, they can use social media, but those channels work best at reaching one's existing supporters, not the average person.

7/ People used to encounter these events in the local paper. There would be a story before, a story after, and a photo in there too. It reminded people about regular events, and allowed casual people to take part - not always, but here or there, if their lives allowed.

8/ The word "encounter" is important there. People who aren't community boosters wouldn't seek out the stuff, but they'd happen upon it in a paper they opened b/c they thought that *something* in the damn thing was going to tweak their interest. Online... is just different.

9/ Community newspapers have traditionally been so valuable, as a community-builder, because they rope people in with the news then, as much to fill their news holes (the bit between the ads) as out of any high-minded inclination, gave some of that space to local organizations.