A simple solution to make journalism better in Trump’s America

[Commentary] News organizations should commit to opening at least five bureaus in midsize and smallish cities somewhere in the middle of America in 2017. I don't have any set list of what those cities should be, but just for kicks, here are five: Omaha (NE), Knoxville (TN), Dallas (TX), Missoula (MT), Columbus (OH). President-elect Donald Trump carried all five states. The states represent significant geographic diversity. They range from tiny (Missoula) to pretty darned big (Dallas).

In the modern age of reporting, the relative costs for an effort like this are low. You need to hire one person in each of these places. They can work from home. You pay for their salary, their Wi-Fi, their cellphone and their gas for reporting trips. Given what is expended on, say, covering a presidential campaign, we are talking about peanuts. Technology allows a reporter to work from anywhere, at a low cost. The times demand different coverage. Why not this? And why not now?