The national collapse of local journalism collides with Orange County’s Legislature public notice reduction
By Lisa Pillivant
A new national study paints a troubling picture of the state of local journalism in America. The question for Orange County residents may be even more troubling:
What happens when government watchdogs disappear at the same time government officials face less scrutiny than ever?
According to the newly released 2026 Local Journalist Index, produced by Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack, local journalism continues its steep decline nationwide. The study found that the number of local journalists has fallen by approximately 81 percent since 2002, with the national average dropping from roughly 40 local journalists per 100,000 residents to just 7.8 today.
Even more alarming, approximately 70 percent of U.S. counties now fall below that already diminished average.
The report found that in 77 percent of counties there was no local education coverage mentioning a community by name during the first quarter of 2026. Seventy-six percent had no local health care coverage. Transportation and environmental coverage fared even worse.
Researchers also found that communities with fewer journalists experience lower civic participation, less community engagement, and higher municipal borrowing costs. According to the report, states with fewer local journalists face borrowing costs approximately 17 percent higher than average, contributing to an estimated $1.1 billion in annual financial harm nationwide.
The findings raise an uncomfortable question for Orange County.
At the very moment national researchers are warning that communities suffer when fewer reporters attend meetings, examine public records, and ask difficult questions, Orange County government appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
In January 2024, the Orange County Legislature removed the Warwick Valley Dispatch from the county’s official newspaper list, leaving Warwick residents without their historic hometown paper carrying county legal notices. Former Majority Leader Tom Faggione later described the move as “100% a business decision,” while another legislator, speaking anonymously to the Dispatch, called it political.
Former Majority Leader Tom Faggione’s suggestion to the Editor of The Dispatch that the county could revisit the decision later to see “how things are going” only intensified concerns. Newspapers are not schoolchildren. They are not probationary employees. They are not supposed to earn official approval through good behavior.
The very purpose of a watchdog newspaper is to make people in power uncomfortable.
That is not a flaw.
That is the job description.
Critics have long argued that official newspaper designations can become a subtle form of reward and punishment. Publications that stick to community calendars, ribbon cuttings, and safe press-release journalism rarely create political headaches. Publications that file records requests, challenge official narratives, and report on controversial votes often do.
Under the Faggione leadership period, the number of designated newspapers for public notices was reduced from seven in 2022 to four in 2024. That decision did not merely trim a line item. It weakened the public’s access to legal notices and official county information, especially in Warwick, one of the county’s largest municipalities.
In 2025, after public criticism, the Legislature corrected the course and restored the designation.
But the reprieve did not last.
At the January 6, 2026 reorganization meeting, Legislator Sparrow Tobin moved to remove the Warwick Valley Dispatch from the official newspaper designation. The motion was seconded by Legislator Jonathan Redeker, representing Goshen and part of Warwick, in the Village of Florida. Tobin cited concerns about invoicing and editorial standards. Legislator Virginia Scott supported the move, saying it might “send a message.”
The message received by many taxpayers was something else entirely.
The vote to remove the Dispatch passed 19-2. Voting yes were Ramos, Ruszkiewicz, Carter, Cheney, Essig, Faggione, Fascaldi, Hill, Hunter, Redeker, Revella, Sassi, Scott, Stegenga, Sutherland, Tobin, Tuohy, Turnbull and Tautel.
Voting no were Michael Amo and Glenn Ehlers.
That vote placed Warwick’s own representatives under a harsh spotlight. Legislators Paul Ruszkiewicz and Barry Cheney, both representing portions of Warwick, voted to remove the Dispatch. Glenn Ehlers, whose district also includes parts of Warwick, voted against removal.
The contrast matters. For Warwick, this is not theoretical.
When a national study concludes that fewer reporters lead to less accountability, why would elected officials choose to reduce the reach of one of the county’s most persistent watchdog publications?
If the goal is transparency, the obvious solution is more sunlight.
More newspapers.
More coverage.
More scrutiny.
More public awareness.
The study also found that communities with fewer reporters have lower civic participation, weaker oversight, and less government accountability. Coverage of education, health care, transportation, and environmental issues has evaporated in much of the country. As journalism declines, public engagement declines with it.
Whether that dynamic exists in Orange County is for readers to decide.
But the appearance is difficult to ignore.
The Local Journalist Index warns that communities suffer when watchdogs disappear.
The Orange County Legislature did not create America’s local news crisis.
But several of its members have voted in ways that appear remarkably indifferent to it.
The lesson from the national report is straightforward.
Governments become more accountable when more people are watching.
They do not become more accountable when fewer people are.
The public should remember that the next time a politician promises transparency while voting to reduce the number of independent eyes on government.
Because history suggests that watchdogs are rarely unpopular with taxpayers.
Only with the people being watched.
