Don Lemon, Bad Bunny Versus Kid Rock? Viral Outrage Doesn’t Keep the Lights On.
Opinion
Our phones have been busy lately.
People are talking. Sharing. Arguing. Posting hot takes about Don Lemon’s alleged arrest, Bad Bunny’s Half-Time Show, and we will not go there on the Epstein files. Screenshots are flying. Group chats are buzzing. Someone is mad at The Washington Post. Someone else is mad about people being mad at The Washington Post. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has time for outrage.
What a moment.
And yet, many of the same folks who can recite a national media controversy in real time can’t tell you who covers their county commissioners, their school board or their zoning decisions. Some don’t know where to find local news anymore. Others know exactly where to find it and still don’t support it.
This isn’t about Don Lemon. This isn’t even about The Washington Post. This is about community journalism. About what we choose to amplify and what we allow to disappear quietly.
National media storms are loud. They’re designed to be. Algorithms reward outrage, not understanding. You don’t have to live next door to Don Lemon for his name to dominate your feed. You don’t have to subscribe to a paper to argue about its credibility.
Joel Leonard/ Community Journalism Champion isn’t a trained journalist but came along to “Do His Part!”
But here’s the thing: none of that keeps your community informed.
When a local newsroom shuts down, there is no viral moment. No trending hashtag. No panel discussion. Just silence. Fewer people at public meetings. Less accountability. More decisions being made without witnesses.
Local news is the only place where your neighbor’s story matters simply because they are your neighbor. It’s where road closures get explained, not sensationalized. Where elections are covered long before results night. Where context lives even when it isn’t flashy.
Supporting local news doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks boring. Sharing a story that isn’t about a celebrity or a national scandal but still affects your daily life.
If you have energy for the outrage cycle, you have energy to support the people covering your backyard. If you care about media accountability on a national level, it should start locally.
Because when the dust settles on the latest viral controversy, your trash still gets picked up. Your kids still go to school. Your tax dollars still get spent. And someone needs to be there, paying attention, even when it isn’t trending.
Local news isn’t asking you to stop caring about the rest of the world. We’re just asking you not to forget the place you live while you’re busy talking about everywhere else.
