Last week, Sports Illustrated laid off most of its staff according to various reports. While it is not surprising, considering the state of Sports Illustrated, it is sad. Growing up, there was a time when I looked forward to getting this magazine each Thursday. I did not read it all, but I always tried to read Rick Reilly’s articles at the end of the magazine. His article titled Nothing but Nets asked readers to send $10 for mosquito nets to hang over kids in Africa to protect them from malaria. This is one of the first pieces of writing that impacted me and inspired me to author a similar article for the Walnut Street Journal which used to be published in the Traer Star-Clipper.

This happened at the tail end of when magazines, newspapers, and journalists had a significant role in informing the general population. They used journalistic principles to provide the best information to the public. While these principles are not gone, there are fewer of these jobs and the void is being filled by social media where journalistic principles are hard to come by. Everyone wants their information as soon as possible, but the best reporting takes time. Unfortunately, social media was also journalism’s undoing.

Newspapers and magazines made a grave error when the internet was hitting its stride. They put the articles out for free. This gave people the impression they could access news for free. When these organizations realized this was not a money-making decision, it was too late. At this point, enterprises with less journalistic integrity which played on emotions became more popular on the web. As the algorithms homed in on people’s habits, everyone was fed a specific feed with their viewpoints, and this has led to the continuing polarization of American society.

When politicians on both sides of the aisle attack the media, it is not good for the public. Why are they attacking the media? Is it because “the media” is bad at their jobs or is their position supported by a certain narrative that runs against objective reporting? There is always a motive. When people do not believe organizations that employ journalistic principles, they are more beholden to the people who might end up hurting them in the end. This vacuum is not good for a healthy society.

While “the media” is not always perfect, it is important to know why people tell you to not trust “the media.” If you never believe what “the media” tells you, then you have been controlled by people who have motives that are not dictated by the facts of the matter. They are using human emotions against you. The world is not as black and white as people want you to believe. It is a place to critically think.

What does this have to do with rural Iowa? Local newspapers matter. A Harvard Business School 2021 study titled, When the Local Newspaper Leaves Town: The Effects of Local Newspaper Closures on Corporate Misconduct, found when a newspaper closes, violations at publicly listed companies in the paper’s circulation area increased by 1.1 percent and penalties from regulators rose by 15 percent. Professor and researcher Jonas Heese also found that the nature of many violations was more severe in towns without newspapers.

When newspapers close, society as a whole and your tax dollars are at risk. Supporting news organizations that are investigating private businesses and public entities is the best ROI citizens can do. Journalism matters. When a news entity closes, the facts leave but the opinions stay. Opinions are like (a certain body part), everybody has one, and they all stink.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.