How National Media Failed Flint

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in which thousands of residents have been exposed to everything from cancer-causing chemicals to lead in their drinking water, dates back nearly two years. But the unfolding story had received scant coverage from the national media until recently, when Gov Rick Snyder (R-MI) declared a state of emergency for Flint. Why did it take so long for major national outlets to focus closely on the story, even as local outlets had been doggedly covering it for well over a year?

In interviews with Media Matters, media observers and the journalists who have been covering the story in Michigan cite a wide range of factors, including continued newsroom cutbacks, the complexities of a story that combines government mismanagement with detailed science, and competition from the presidential primary campaign, breaking news events, and click-bait like celebrity gossip.