Final answer:
Closing newspaper bureau offices typically reduces community coverage, as resources shrink and the focus may shift away from localized reporting. Despite a move to online platforms, such consolidations can lead to a less well-informed citizenry regarding local events and issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
The textbook suggests that closing newspaper bureau offices reduces community coverage. This is because the reduction in available news can lessen the amount of information about communities, and the consolidation into larger conglomerates often leads to a focus on more national or generic content at the expense of local detail. Additionally, while newspapers are adopting new media platforms to remain relevant, the shift to online formats can fracture the audience and potentially lead to less comprehensive coverage of local events and issues.
Historically, newspapers played a key role in investigating and exposing issues in government and business, known as muckraking. However, with the reduction in staff and resources, the capacity for in-depth investigative journalism, which has the power to inform the public about critical issues and foster transparency in politics and economics, is significantly diminished.