Bloomington has way fewer local news reporters than in years past.

In a column published last November by The Limestone Post, former Herald-Times reporter Steve Hinnefeld put some specific numbers on that trend. The newsroom at his former paper has diminished from 50 to just a dozen, Hinnefeld wrote.

If you didn’t read it at the time, or even if you did, the link to Hinnefeld’s column is worth a click.

The shortage of reporters is not confined to any one beat. But the one I care most about is local government news.

How can we, as a community, pull together to make up for the current deficit in local news coverage of local government?

I think Bloomington’s city councilmembers could help fill the gap. To be clear, I am not suggesting that city councilmembers start writing articles for local news outlets.

The idea is simple: Bloomington city councilmembers should rethink the way they use their time that is labeled on their meeting agendas as “reports” from councilmembers. Continue reading “Column: Let’s try making journalists out of Bloomington’s elected officials” →