If you’re receiving unwanted emails that purport to be local news, how can you block the content you don’t want and identify that which you do?
This is a question we asked ourselves as we began investigating a supposed local news outlet that appears to be a national company using artificial intelligence, claims about their business that don’t add up, and questionable journalistic ethics.
Read our investigation here: Bad ‘news’: Mysteries, misrepresentation, and misinformation. Artificial intelligence-fueled “local” newsletters called Daily Kalamazoo and Daily Portage are infiltrating inboxes in Kalamazoo County. They are among the dozens of fake-local media sites around the country allegedly created by a New York entrepreneur.
This led us to look into just how potentially nefarious this email and other online actors are.
Read that story here: Misinformation, mischief, and money. Fake information that looks like real news – along with other scams like phishing and spear phishing – try to lure the unaware. But you can avoid becoming the catch of the day.
Now what? Well, the best way to stop the junk is to click on the “unsubscribe” link in that unwanted email and, if it truly is something you didn’t ask for, mark it as “spam” or “junk” in your email system.
“When people are fooled by fake news sites, it contributes to not trusting any news sites,” said Sue Ellen Christian, a Western Michigan University professor of communications, noting data released by the Reuters Institute and University of Oxford earlier this year. Christian is the author of the books “Everyday Media Literacy: An Analog Guide for Your Digital Life” and “Overcoming Bias: A Journalist’s Guide to Culture & Context.” She is also the creator of WonderMediaLibrary.com, a public website about media and news literacy for ages 10 and older.
So, where do you turn to now? In addition to NowKalamazoo, there are a number of news organizations that are either based in Kalamazoo County or have actual reporters here. This is a good list (in alphabetical order) to start with. (If we’ve missed any, let us know.)
Local News that is from Kalamazoo County
‘Community Voices’ Girls Can!, a quarterly publication by and for African American girls exploring Kalamazoo and the world. It’s part of the Merze Tate Explorers program.
Encore Magazine, a monthly community arts, culture, and lifestyle magazine available around the community, delivered to your home or business, or online. It’s located in downtown Kalamazoo.
The Index, the student newspaper of Kalamazoo College.
Public Media Network, a collection of paid staff and community volunteers producing stories and other media online and airing on cable. It’s located in downtown Kalamazoo.
South County News, a monthly community newspaper covering Vicksburg, Schoolcraft, and surrounding areas.
Southwest Michigan Spark, a self-described “baby boomer” culture publication published monthly and available around the county.
The Western Herald, the student newspaper of Western Michigan University.
WMUK-FM, found on the dial at 102.1 and online, is our NPR-affiliate station. It’s independent but the FCC license is owned by Western Michigan University where its studios are located.
Non-local news organizations that have editorial operations in Kalamazoo County
Climax Crescent, a weekly newspaper covering Climax, Scotts, Galesburg, and Augusta, purchased in 2023 by Detroit Legal News Publishing.
MLive, an online news outlet, which also publishes the Kalamazoo Gazette, part of a network of statewide news websites owned by New York-based Advance Publications.
New/Nueva Opinión, an independent biweekly Spanish-language newspaper in Battle Creek covering southwest Michigan.
Southwest Michigan Second Wave, an online news magazine, is part of a network of statewide news websites owned by the Indiana-based company, Fourth Estate.
The Touch 96.5 and WKZO 590, radio stations with local news and public service programming, owned by Wisconsin-based Midwest Communications.
Watershed Voice, an online, nonprofit news magazine based in Three Rivers covering southwest Michigan.
WOOD, local NBC affiliate TV owned by Texas-based Nexstar Media Group.
WWMT, local CBS affiliate TV owned by Maryland-based Sinclair Inc.
WXMI, local Fox network affiliate TV owned by the Ohio-based E.W. Scripps Company.
Wait, that’s more local media outlets than I thought
Same here. We’re definitely not living in a “news desert,” but there has been a decline in the number of journalists employed or freelancing in Kalamazoo County. There are two organizations working to turn that around:
The Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County, the nonprofit organization that powers NowKalamazoo, is also focused on expanding and diversifying local media, rebuilding civic engagement, and supporting democracy.
The Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative, a collection of a dozen media, educational, and community organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism. NowKalamazoo is a founding member.
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