Local Media, Vital to Alaska
The minute-by-minute news coverage of the tsunami warning following the earthquake on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30 was provided by local stations, which are reliable sources of information for global corporations. These local media outlets are an essential public service for their communities and the global community, and are recognized as such by important federal agencies and departments, such as the FBI throughout the country and the Alaska Department of Health.This is the same role local media have played since Mount Spurr volcano, just 80 miles from Anchorage, became active again in the spring, posing a threat of erupting and flooding the air in and around the city with volcanic dust and ash.
Local media play a crucial role in protecting lives and property. This is even more true in Alaska, given its geography, scattered population, and the importance of local information for day-to-day life and decision-making in remote urban centers. Two significant events have recently taken place that clearly demonstrate the importance of local media: First, in Alaska, the Department of Health has distributed information to local media and journalists entitled “Let’s Talk Vaccines,” announcing the upcoming quarterly Immunization Program and encouraging collaboration in achieving a “Healthy Alaska.” Secondly, there is the FBI, one of the most important security agencies not only in the United States but in the world, which has acknowledged to “our local media partners” for their assistance in disseminating its press releases requesting the public’s help in its investigations. Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, KYUK (Bethel), KSDP (Sand Point), KUCB (Unalaska) radio stations, and many other corporations and local media outlets across the country (including print and online outlets such as Sol de Medianoche) play an essential role in covering news, weather, and issues of interest that affect all residents, wherever they may be. Republicans voted for a $9 billion cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, condemning it to closure, despite the fact that it is not a private, subsidized business, but a non-profit organization with a clear social benefit. This includes the elimination of $1.1 billion in funding for the CPB—which distributes funds to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service—over the next two years. The CPB was established by the US Congress in 1967 and has been distributing more than $500 million annually to PBS, NPR, and over 1,500 local public radio and television stations. But Trump has dealt a fatal blow to all of them by eliminating a public service that has existed for almost six decades (58 years) and ignored millions of Americans (many of them his own voters) who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for them. Local media workers face layoffs, which means more unemployment, increased poverty, and reduced economic activity in their communities, precisely in the areas that need the most support. For other reasons, these are also bad times for the mainstream media. But the target of the Republicans led by Trump is the local media, which he accuses of having a supposed “anti-right-wing bias.” On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate 250 years of history. However, it will no longer be the “free country” that serves as a benchmark for freedom of expression, information, and other democratic freedoms and rights, setting an example for the rest of the world. |