Impact's goal is giving access to critical information

Since 2005, more than 3,200 print newspapers have disappeared. They continue to vanish at a rate of more than two per week, including 130 in the past year alone.

In their place, news deserts emerge. As of the newly released 2024 State of Local News Project, an annual analysis of the local news industry that tracks the closures, mergers and emergence of outlets, there are 206 counties across the United States that do not have access to any source for local news. Sumter is one of the 1,561 counties with only one news source. That's us.

"The local news crisis isn't just about the loss of local outlets; it's also about the diminution of community coverage," an introduction from the report's leaders says.

When a community does not have a local news source, its residents have less access to critical information needs. Simply put, they know less about what's going on around them. Whether it's information about candidates in an upcoming election or whether it's coverage of policy decisions being made in city council and school board meetings or recaps of high school sports, lists of upcoming events you can bring the family to or profiles on people and organizations, the more you know, the more you can make informed decisions for you and your family. The more you know about your community, the more likely you are to find connection to it.

The state of local news is scary when you look at the numbers. But I also ask that you look at the previous paragraph you just read. All of those are examples of actual articles you can find inside this edition of The Sumter Item Impact.

Though we do need to make money to pay our staff and bills, we feel so strongly about the importance of the communities we serve having access to critical (and often even fun) information that we continue to send this monthly paper directly to more than 28,000 households and businesses in Sumter complimentary to readers. This is thanks to the people who promote their businesses through us and those who subscribe to The Item, giving them full access to everything we produce across mediums.

Thank you for reading this paper. If you support a business you see advertising on these pages, thank them next time you visit, too. If there is something you want to see covered in this paper, you can always email me at kayla@theitem.com. We're all better if we work together!