Block is a political science student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He is from Encinitas and has been writing with the Community Voices Project since February 2023.
On a recent Monday, I received an email informing me that The San Diego Union-Tribune would no longer have a comments section. We’re not alone in this loss. USA Today, San Jose’s The Mercury News, Boston Herald and countless more have lost their online comments sections in recent years. This makes the reading experience significantly worse, but I argue this spells a more dreadful sign for journalism.
Let’s review real quick why I’m upset about losing the comments. For me, the comments can be an incredibly useful way to gain insight on the articles I read. They show me a variety of views that I can’t consider with the article alone. I want to read comments on the Union-Tribune’s site because it is one of the most authentic ways to interact with my San Diego community. Social media forums can replace this, in theory, but I find it more likely leads to closed off echo-chambers that many, myself included, can’t access. In fact, a study from The University of Texas at Austin found that social media comments don’t increase when a paper removes its comments section. Many conversations just stop happening.
The comments are even more useful as a writer. As much as I would like to pretend every piece I put out is perfect, that’s not the case. Sometimes my arguments are weak, unclear, or maybe just wrong. Seeing people have surprisingly constructive conversations about my work feels amazing. Removing the comments section means I have no reliable way to see how my work is received by a wider audience. The comments praising my work are great, but I would still rather take 20 negative comments over an empty comments section (or no comments section at all).
Losing comments isn’t the end of the world, but it worries me as a sign of what’s to come. I take it as a combination of cost-cutting measures and a lack of engagement. It’s no secret that a free press isn’t free and people have become less willing to pay for quality news. Little investment worsens the quality of local media, which worsens problems of low engagement.
In many ways, my generation has failed to step up to high-quality journalism. Social media is an incredible tool to democratize and lower the barrier for journalism, but in relying fully on it we lose out on the immense resources institutionalized journalism can give us. We simply can’t expect the same reliability from social media news. There are too many ways bad actors can hijack our news cycle and misinform us on social media. We should still incorporate it as part of our news diet, but it must be alongside high quality sources like the Union-Tribune. Even if you just hop on for the $4 for 4 months deal, the investment is worth it. I promise.
I also have one more big ask for young people. I want you to meaningfully engage with local media. ing and reading local journalism is incredible, but being a part of it is even better. The Union-Tribune’s opinion section always wants to hear from more young people.
I feel grateful to have a platform to speak on behalf of college students and Gen Zers, but I’d rather be one of many representations. It’s both fun and meaningful to have your work shared with the diverse audience San Diego has to offer. It also is incredibly important for getting eyes on our issues. Social media is great to go viral, but I guarantee you that a significant portion of the Union-Tribune’s readership is not active on TikTok or Instagram. If we want to get everyone in on our messaging, we can’t stick to forums dominated by young people. We have to actively seek out new audiences to have our ideas heard.
Write letters to the editor. Write Op-Eds. The more we can have our voices represented in mainstream journalism, the more other young people will be invested to local journalism. This isn’t to say you should stop posting on social media to have your voice heard. I’m encouraging you to do both. Combine the audiences of social and print media to reach the most people possible. If writing for the Union-Tribune this past year has taught me anything, it’s that a surprising number of people will listen when you have something to say.
Investing financially in journalism can be a big ask, especially for young people. I get that. So invest with your time, ideas and energy. It has immense benefit to both local journalism and you. The more we engage with mainstream journalism, the more they will want to engage with us. Let’s show them what we can bring to the table.
