Inside a news black hole – case study of a town with no newspaper

This chapter describes a mix of research methods to gain an understanding of the nature of what many commentators were calling the "news black hole" in Port Talbot. The voice and influence of citizens, however, diminished in the face of cuts and closures. The chapter discusses the ability of Port Talbot&s;s weakened journalism infrastructure to provide information, representation and scrutiny to citizens. Low levels of knowledge may be linked to relatively low local news consumption coupled with the problems with quality and quantity of available local news. The chapter focuses on the decline of local media and the consequences for citizens living in Port Talbot. It sets out the problems being faced by citizens living in a news black hole, which, as much of the evidence indicates, is a phenomenon marked by the withdrawal of journalists from a community, rather than the closure of newspapers.

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