Here at LPJL, we think journalism is super important, duh. The New York Times breaking the news about the truly horrendous attempts to erase transgender and nonbinary people under federal civil rights laws set people into motion, furious, righteous and fighting back.
And we also read local newspapers every day, because while we might not care about the community clambake, we do care of some gunho-nightmare attorney general has decided it’s his responsibility to end Medicaid spending at abortion clinics.
Local newspapers expose corruption in a city, that can lead to a shitty law being passed in a state, that can now go all the way to the extremely-fucking-compromised-why-are-we-not-just-rioting-all-the-time Supreme Court.
Local newspapers are how we learn that Iowa’s Family Planning program has completely failed the people of Iowa… all because, they cut funding to Planned Parenthood. Fewer than half the number of people enrolled in the program last year are enrolled now. The state lost out on $3 million in Medicaid money. It’s an unmitigated disaster. And here at LPJL we appreciate national outlets like Jezebel who aggregate stories like this. Because we’re hoping that people in OTHER STATES will read about Iowa and be like “hey, OUR STATE SHOULDN’T DO THAT.” LIKE FUCKING SOUTH CAROLINA! Maybe we never learn from our mistakes and our bound to repeat them forever… but NOT IF LOCAL NEWSPAPERS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!
So consider subscribing to a paper in your state doing some gangbusters reporting. Cuz, West Virginia, we’re watching YOU!
