Mike Wagner, a professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying how media use relates to political behavior, said mimicking trusted local news is a “pretty sophisticated” strategy — but possibly not for long. He said his surveys show more Wisconsinites avoiding news and information altogether.
“They’re overwhelmed by the constant din of content, and they seek it less,” he said. “As newspapers probably continue to decline, the value of looking like a newspaper will also decline.”