News in my backyard: Media and democracy in an "all American" city

Considerable research indicates that, at both the national and community le vels, commercial news media generally fail to provide citizens with the spe cific information they require to hold government and public organizations accountable. This study extends research on media and democracy at the loca l level through a detailed content analysis of the community issue coverage of a local newspaper that serves an unusually well educated, financially s ecure, and politically active population. Data suggest that media do not se rve democracy even in a context in which the limitations imposed by a polit ically disengaged audience are not present.