Even the local rag in our small town is a joke. The city and the school district spend money and whine about budget cuts with no scrutiny from the local paper. No context to the arguments, just regurgitated drivel from “officials”
Yeah, our local paper here in deep red Alabama is a joke too. They are very good at quoting the local politicians, but not very good at fact checking them, especially the liberal ones. Of course this is a pretty good arrangement for the politicians. And I think being to the left of the general population makes the newspaper people feel sophisticated.
Take a look at where the city and school districts publish their legal advertising. That will tell you why they get no scrutiny from the local paper.