local newspapers

(University of Chicago Press Journals) In areas where members of Congress get lots of ink in local newspapers, voters are more informed and representatives do more to serve local interests, according to a study to be published next week in the Journal of Political Economy.

The findings also suggest that the current trend toward fewer local newspapers could make for less responsive politicians in the future.

The Bay Area news project says it wants to fill some of the vacuum left by the downsizing of the local newspapers.