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11 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,N ovem ber 22,2018 theifp.ca It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. Discussions about local journalism used to be about scoops, breaking news and deadlines. These days the debate is littered with terms like local news poverty, news deserts and ghost newspapers - a term recently coined by U.S. re- searchers to describe pub- lications so diminished by layoffs they cannot ade- quately cover their com- munities. The numbers are sober- ing: The Local News Map, a crowd-sourced tool that tracks changes to local news outlets, documents the loss of 260 local newspa- pers, online news sites and radio and television outlets in 190 communities be- tween 2008 and Oct. 1 of this year. Community newspa- pers that publish fewer than five times per week have been hardest hit - 189 have ceased to exist over the past decade. Another 74 news outlets implemented service cuts ranging from shorter television news- casts to reduced newspa- per publication schedules. Overall, local news out- lets closed at almost three times the rate that new ones opened. While the statistics are startling, they don't convey what really happens when a local newsroom is cut to the bone or shut down. The loss of timely, verified, in- dependently produced news has real-life conse- quences. A Scientific American report earlier this year, for instance, offered a con- crete illustration of why lo- cal health news matters. In the article, U.S. epidemiol- ogists worried aloud that the disappearance of so many local newspapers means researchers are los- ing an important early warning system for the out- break and spread of infec- tious diseases. Closer to home, stories that showcase how news organizations hold power accountable are a staple of journalism awards cere- monies. Recent National Newspaper Award win- ners in the local reporting category range from an ac- count of the shocking liv- ing standards of marginal- ized people in Kingston to a series of stories in the St. Catharines Standard about the impact of child abuse by a Roman Catholic priest in the Niagara area. In addition to monitor- ing power, local news equips citizens with a shared set of facts and in- formation so they can act collectively and participate in decision making - a city council decision to build a four-lane expressway at the end of your street should never come as a sur- prise. Yet municipal offi- cials say it is increasingly difficult to get news about city affairs out to residents and warn that rumour, speculation and deliberate- ly misleading information circulated online by vested interests will fill the space formerly occupied by local news. Local news organiza- tions also keep people safe during emergencies: A Conference Board of Cana- da review of how Calgary responded to the massive 2013 flood highlighted the essential role of local me- dia in reassuring the public and keeping people in- formed. One official told the report's authors that media were as important to the city's emergency re- sponse "as police, fire and EMS." Whether they realize it or not, local news helps people understand and navigate the local econo- my. Stories about house prices and vacancy rates inform buy-versus-rent de- cisions. Headlines about the local unemployment rate matter if you are thinking of searching for a new job. Transit reporters' sto- ries on the location of new subway, bus or rapid tran- sit lines can affect house prices, commuting deci- sions and the location of new businesses. Education coverage keeps parents in- formed about the latest is- sues in local schools. Local news also matters because it can do harm: Re- porting gone wrong can stereotype, misrepresent or underrepresent minori- ty groups and the most vul- nerable people in a com- munity. It can result in un- critical boosterism for lo- cal business and other elites. And it can act as a bully pulpit for the loudest voic- es while other perspectives languish. At its best though, local news builds community by making it possible for peo- ple to collectively share moments both good and bad. After last year's dead- ly shooting at a Quebec City mosque, for instance, stories across the country documented vigils held to support local Muslim com- munities and denounce Is- lamophobia. If you didn't attend the vigil in your ar- ea you could still share in the moment of solidarity by reading about it in the local paper or watching a local television newscast. In the United States, the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Com- munities in a Democracy summed up the impor- tance of local news when it concluded that informa- tion is "as vital to the healthy functioning of communities as clean air, safe streets, good schools, and public health." The au- thors could have added that clean air, safe streets, good schools and pubic health owe much to local journalism. April Lindgren leads the Local News Research Project at Ryerson Uni- versity's School of Journal- ism. She can be reached at april.lindgren@ryerson.ca. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. DEEP NEWSROOM CUTS HURT COMMUNITIES: REPORT OPINION PUBLIC HEALTH AND NEWSPAPERS GO HAND-IN-HAND, WRITES APRIL LINDGREN APRIL LINDGREN Column We dig deeper on the issues that matter to you. VISIT THEIFP.CA TO READ CURRENT AND PAST INVESTIGATIONS Notice of Public Meeting haltonhills.ca 120 Council Seeking Input on Building Permit Rates and Fees This is to advise that the Town's Council will be considering the proposed 2019 Rates and Fees at theCouncil meeting to be heldMondayDecember 17, 2018, in Council Chambers, 1 Halton Hills Drive, Georgetown. The purpose of the public meeting is to obtain public comments on a proposed increase to the Town of Halton Hills existing building permit fees and is being held pursuant to Section 7 of the Building Code Act, 1992. Following the public meeting, the Town will pass the bylaw to implement the 2019 building permit fees. A report of the proposed fees may be obtained on the Town's website at haltonhills.ca. In addition, any and all information pertaining to proposed changes to the building permit fees is available to the public upon request by contacting the Building Division directly at 905-873-2601 ext. 2322. If you wish to register to speak to Council at the December 17 meeting, please contact the Clerk's Division at 905-873-2601 Ext. 2333 by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 14, 2018.