Day: August 27, 2025

Throughout history, Americans have looked to local news for an overview of what’s going on in their communities. They want to know the weather forecast, how their high school baseball team did and what their local government is up to. Until recently, this information was usually available in their local newspaper or on a local TV station.

But the financial pressures on local journalism have led to a wave of consolidation that has reduced the number of local newspapers and shifted the delivery of news content. As a result, the share of adults who say they are following local news has dropped significantly since last year.

In many cases, local newspaper outlets have merged with or been bought out by larger media companies, leaving many towns without their own news source. In others, the local news void has been filled by entrepreneurs with innovative new business models. But most of these efforts remain small and are focused on specific markets or demographic groups.

The town of Eudora, Kansas, for example, lost its local newspaper in 2009. But a decade later a group of journalism students has launched an online news site that covers the community’s top issues. Its coverage of town politics, school closings and the occasional waterskiing squirrel has given the town a vital news outlet that serves a need. Overall, Americans give local news a positive evaluation for its ability to keep them informed, serve as a watchdog and amplify stories about their community.

Providing the bare necessities is one thing, but addressing the deeper issues that are leading to displacement – including conflict, poverty, climate change and lack of acceptance – is a challenge on a different scale. This is particularly true as displaced people are often hosted in neighbouring countries that themselves are prone to violence and instability.

This is why a strong and predictable international response is critical. It must include UNHCR, which is focused on protection and humanitarian assistance in refugee situations, alongside the World Bank, which invests in long-term development. They should join forces throughout a refugee crisis, from its onset to its resolution. The end goal should always be to create conditions allowing refugees to return home voluntarily and safely.

Large populations of displaced people require substantial financial and material support, which can be a strain on host states and the wider global community. This is particularly true for developing countries. Moreover, sizeable refugee populations can exacerbate political, ethnic or religious tensions within host communities and between them and their sending states. And refugees may be vulnerable to exploitation in the informal economy or the criminal networks they may be part of.

At the same time, many of those who are most vulnerable are women and children. This is why ensuring refugee-friendly policies are in place to address their specific needs, including addressing gender-based violence, is so important. This should also apply to internally displaced persons (IDPs), who do not qualify for legal protection under the Geneva Convention and instead live under the jurisdiction of their host country’s government.