Storm Lake by Art Cullen

I picked up STORM LAKE by Art Cullen in part because of its subtitle: “a chronicle of change, resilience, and hope from a heartland newspaper,” and I continued reading because Art Cullen is such a terrific storyteller.  After all, he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for Editorial Writing about taking on corporate agribusiness for polluting the state's water and soil.  In STORM LAKE he describes his decision to join his brother in starting a local Iowa paper.  Almost immediately, I was picturing him trying to persuade his wife that this was a good career decision for their family of two young children. I also wanted to continue reading in order to learn more in response to questions like: What is happening “on the ground” in Iowa? How do you make a difference in your community? What impact does local journalism have and how does it relate to the “American Dream,” especially for immigrants trying to assimilate?

I started doing some quick research and found the statistics about the loss of local newspapers to be truly astounding.  Academics, national and international publications have been lamenting the change and noting the potential impacts on polarization, democracy, health care and investigative reporting.   

Here are just a few examples with links to additional studies and data:

Nov. 19, 2018: “Political polarization increases after local newspapers close” (Journalist’s Resource)

June 22, 2018: “Civic engagement declines when local newspapers shut down” (Journalist’s Resource)

June 5, 2018: “Fading local press raises fears for city democracy” (by subscription at Financial Times)

April 11, 2018: “The Crisis in Journalism has become a Crisis of Democracy” (Washington Post)

Plus, the University of North Carolina, in conjunction with The Knight Foundation, has compiled a comprehensive database and report on The Expanding News Desert which looks at newspaper closings since 2004 and who is filling the void.  

Interested? Plan to pick up STORM LAKE which will be on our shelves soon (or read a short excerpt here). This title should have appeal for faculty and students from a variety of areas and disciplines (Journalism and Senior Writing classes, Integrated Global Studies School, US History, American Studies, Civics and Junior Theme). Cullen’s STORM LAKE received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.