By SAHAR FATIMAResidents of Toronto’s poorest neighbourhoods sometimes accuse the media of only reporting bad news. Is this true? And if it is true, does this matter? A study by the Local News Research Project at Ryerson University’s School of Journalism analyzes the impact of local news coverage on 13 troubled communities where social services…
The Local News Research Project combines content analysis and digital mapping to explore issues related to local news. The project’s news poverty research examines local coverage in Canadian communities at a time when print and broadcast outlets are scaling back, consolidating or closing, and many online news sites are struggling to stay afloat. Project initiatives include The Local News Map, a study of how local media covered the 2015 federal election, and research on local news reporting on disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Other research has examined the role of ethnic media in shaping newcomers’ sense of place and portrayals of diversity in ethnic newspapers published in the Greater Toronto Area. For more information, contact us.