Benjamin Hanson, a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, argues that local news is essential for communities, providing crucial information about tragedies such as the attack on Annunciation Catholic School and Church in Minneapolis. The Local Journalist Index 2025 from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News found that the U.S. has lost 75% of its local journalists since 2002 and over 1,000 counties do not have equivalent of even one full-time local journalist. This decline is crippling local media-less communities as they become breeding grounds for polarization and misinformation. Without local news, municipal voter turnout shrinks and writing in-depth stories becomes nearly impossible. Local government borrowing costs rise due to the absence of journalists, hurting government-funded programs. As local newsrooms close, citizens will turn to national news outlets, which cannot effectively report local news due to their lack of integration into individual communities. Local news is vital for everyday life, providing vital information on what is happening in a community and preventing future crises. Several bills are being supported by bipartisan lawmakers to dedicate percentage of government advertising budgets to local news.