The World Starts Here: Why Local News Matters on World News Day

By Hattie Quinn, News Director, KCCC 930AM

When the country’s only transuranic nuclear disposal facility had a radiation release in 2014, it was a local reporter from the Carlsbad Current-Argus who broke the news, who followed up on air testing, who covered the press conference when they admitted employees had been exposed, who was in Carlsbad to cover the growing requests for full-body scans by locals worried about radiation exposure, and who covered the effect of the leak and subsequent closure on the local economy.

The local journalist responded and reported, and only then did it become national news. The first warning that the nation’s nuclear waste disposal system was going offline for three years came first from local news. This week, we observed World News Day on September 28. It is a global campaign that celebrates the role journalism plays in people’s lives.

World news begins with local news, through the courage and integrity of local reporters who follow the leads, document the facts, and hold our leaders accountable. Community reporting is where accountability, trust, and the first look at bigger stories begin. When local news weakens, the world suffers. Local reporters know the people, the history, and the context of stories. National outlets lean on that groundwork, not having anyone nearby.

If local news sources dry up, the national and global story either disappears or gets miscommunicated. It is our local reporters who attend city council and county commission meetings and school board and advisory board meetings, and provide coverage so that we, the people, may understand the actions taken on our behalf.

Local reporters attend candidate forums and ask the difficult questions, so that we can be informed when we head to the polls. Research shows links between the loss of local coverage and lower voter turnout, with fewer candidates running for office, and a dissatisfied citizenry losing faith in their leaders. Surveys consistently show people trust local news more than national news. Local media covers what shapes daily life: weather, emergencies, library programs, food distributions, obituaries, high school sports, and small businesses.

We celebrate neighbors, keep a record of our area’s history, and give residents a shared set of facts they can believe in. But the press has an obligation to you as the audience. Shorthanded as all media outlets are, we must still cover what matters most. In late 2024, I ran a poll of randomly approached Carlsbad residents to find out what they needed from local journalism. Nine out of 10 respondents said they never knew what was going on with local government, around the county, or with their neighbors. This led directly to the creation of KCCC 930 AM’s weekly news and events show, “Mid-Week Matters,” where we gather events from calendars around the county, where we aggregate news from local and national outlets that affect our lives here in the Permian Basin, and where we spotlight charities, businesses, and government initiatives.

We are lucky in Carlsbad to have multiple news outlets, unlike most of rural New Mexico, which is classified as containing news deserts. But nearby Roswell saw the closure of its local paper after 100 years, and even in Carlsbad, we have seen our daily paper now printed weekly, with more content going online. Local papers are having a hard time keeping the lights on when they have fewer reporters and have lost ad revenue to the tech platforms everyone has moved to.

The press has a responsibility to be where the people are and has seen the rise of online content, but the press cannot afford to put all its eggs in those baskets when bastions of the free press have merged to become corporate entities, more interested in shareholders than readers, and when social media uses algorithms to dictate what material you see and do not see.

Journalism is not taking this lying down, however. Community radio, nonprofit newsrooms, hyperlocal news outlets, independent newsletters and podcasts, and partnerships with colleges (like KCCC’s work with SENMC) have all stepped up to fill the gap, find the truth, and seek to inform the masses and train their successors for the constant battle against misinformation.

This week, as we observe the passing of World News Day, we must remember that the never-ending scroll of world events is made up of thousands of local stories. You can help in the quest to spread truth and battle misinformation. Listen to, read, subscribe to, share, and support your local outlets. Send tips, attend public meetings, and value the reporters in our community. Encourage your children to seek the truth behind the headlines and foster the curiosity of those who want to join the fight.

On World News Day and every day, the best way to support journalism everywhere is to support it right here at home. “Know The Facts. Understand What Matters. Choose Trusted Journalism. Because It’s Your Right to Know.” — World News Day 2026