The Paper: Mocking or Paying Tribute to Community News? Metajournalistic Discourse Repairing a Broken Local News Paradigm
The Paper: Mocking or Paying Tribute to Community News? Metajournalistic Discourse Repairing a Broken Local News Paradigm
Karin Assmann and Roberta Fiorito (Ph.D. student), “The Paper: Mocking or Paying Tribute to Community News? Metajournalistic Discourse Repairing a Broken Local News Paradigm," paper to be presented at the AEJMC Conference (Community Journalism Interest Group), New Orleans, August 5-8.
Abstract: In this study we examine the metajournalistic discourse about the NBC/Peacock mockumentary The Paper. We analyzed reviews and commentaries written during the month before and two months after the series’ release in September 2025. At a time when trust in the news media continues to decline, local newspapers shutter, well-documented growing news deserts have become part of a narrative about the crisis in political engagement and community well-being, how popular culture represents journalism becomes increasingly important.
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