As hundreds of journalists at Gannett, the country’s largest newspaper chain, continue striking today, journalism industry leaders point to its importance of investing in local news, especially for a younger generation of Americans.

The walkout that started Monday morning across several states and newsrooms like The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, The Arizona Republic and The Austin-American Statesman, want fair pay and compensation, better working conditions and demanding Gannett shareholders cast a vote of no-confidence in CEO Mike Reed, citing what they call “gross mismanagement.”

In a statement from the NewsGuild-CWA on Thursday, the union representing more than 50 Gannett bargaining units and more than 1,000 employees, note that 20 percent of journalism jobs was cut, unpaid furloughs was instituted and company contributions to employee retirement plans were suspended under Reed’s management.

“Under Mike Reed’s watch, Gannett has become radioactive to investors. Reed doesn’t care one bit about a long-term strategy to invest in the company by investing in journalists,” said NewsGuild president, Jon Schleuss, in a statement on Thursday. “Instead, Reed’s singular focus has been on stuffing his own pockets. Reed has overstayed his welcome at Gannett and needs to go.”

The work stoppage coincided with Gannett’s annual shareholder meeting. In a May letter to shareholders, the NewsGuild criticized Reed’s leadership and the debt burden resulting from the 2019 merger with GateHouse Media. The letter highlighted Reed’s salary of $7.7 million in 2021 and $3.4 million in 2022, considering the company’s reduced workforce and low wages for journalists.

“Gannett badly needs new leadership, starting from the top. For years, we’ve been handed poverty wages and continually stripped of the resources we need to do our job,” said Cheryl Makin, reporter for the New Jersey newspaper Home News Tribune and Vice Chair of the APP-MCJ Guild, a unit of the NewsGuild New York.

Society of Professional Journalists’ President Claire Regan said her organization stands with the striking journalists, who she says, “speak for countless other local journalists feeling the same disregard and neglect as companies navigate an unstable media landscape.”

“News deserts and a reduction in local coverage have affected hundreds of communities across the country,” said Regan. “Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.”

In fact, most Americans believe the spread of mis- and dis-information is a “critical problem” that needs to be fixed. A 2019 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found many Americans believing that “made-up news” is a bigger problem than illegal immigration, terrorism and sexism and causes significant harm to the nation.

“Staff reductions at surviving papers have left fewer reporters to cover breaking news and government meetings and to hold public officials accountable at all levels,” said Regan. “The public, especially younger Americans, should be concerned about the impact of these troubling trends on quality-of-life issues, and about the plight of local journalists at Gannett and elsewhere. Young people will one day be adults tasked with addressing issues in their communities.”

Regan adds that the public need an accurate, contextual historical record to make the best decisions for their families and their communities. Sharene Azimi, the Institute for Nonprofit Newsrooms’ (INN) communications director, sees nonprofit newsrooms filling in that role.

“Based on the latest INN Index data from 2022, we see that the nonprofit news field continues its growth trajectory even as the rest of the media industry contracts,” said Azimi. “This is relevant for young people for a number of reasons. First, it means that there are still jobs for people who want to go into journalism. Second, it means that reporters at nonprofit newsrooms are helping to fill the gaps left by legacy newspapers that have downsized their staff or closed altogether.”

Perhaps the most important, according to Azimi, is that these nonprofit newsrooms are providing journalism as a public service. “And it looks different from many traditional media outlets,” she said.

She adds that most of these nonprofit outlets do not have a paywall or a subscription fee, and over 40 percent of the INN Network does reporting that primarily focuses on “equity, inequality and justice.”.

“So when we talk about the future of local news, it’s important to talk about not just replacing what’s being lost but putting in its place a news media ecosystem that reflects the diversity of our country,” said Azimi. “And that reports for and with (not “on”) the communities it serves.”