Early in his service as the United States Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, M.D., did a cross-country listening tour for a firsthand evaluation of health in America. It was an enlightening and sobering experience. Dr. Murthy spoke with countless numbers of Americans who felt isolated, invisible, and insignificant. In a word, they felt lonely.
Following his listening tour, Dr. Murthy reviewed research that confirmed the magnitude of this problem. The research concluded that almost half of the adults in America were experiencing loneliness. He learned that loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling.
It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.
Fast forward to today. All indications are that not much has changed with a loneliness epidemic since Dr. Murthy’s listening tour. What has changed is renewed awareness of a strategy to address loneliness.
Steven Waldman, the founder of Rebuild Local News suggested in a recent edition of the Washington Monthly Magazine that local news outlets can help reduce loneliness.
Several scholars have affirmed that suggestion.
Missouri School of Journalism Emeritus Associate Professor Clyde Bentley has written that the unifying values function of local media outlets is advancing social integration. Whether it was by providing news of their neighbors, helping them cope with the death of a friend, or simply telling them that tuna was on sale at the market, local news outlets made survival in their community much easier, more enjoyable, and less lonely.
There is also research by Professor Davy Hayes, a political science professor at George Washington University and Madhukar H. Trivedi, M.D., a medical researcher at the University of Texas.
They maintain that local news from local media outlets, when done well, provides information about events and places that draw people together. They also maintain that news from local sources may also encourage people to identify as a member of their community and feel connected to the people where they livei.
Some will suggest local news outlets providing local news have outlived their usefulness and are no longer necessary, with easy and widespread availability of new communications channels. They suggest traditional local news outlets have been steadily declining and should be declared extinct and replaced with the internet and 24-7 national news providers.
That replacement is not always for the better.
In his Washington Monthly article, Waldman reminds us that when local community news is not available or is ignored, there is an information vacuum that is not filled by national media outlets.
He also warns that can have short term and long-term negative consequences.
Waldman suggests national news can be, and often is, more partisan than local news.
While social media platforms can help people stay in regular contact with friends, acquaintances, and family members, they are not in person encounters and are also a way share anger, frustration, vitriolic tirades against others, and all too often misinformation.
The need to help preserve and strengthen local news was not lost on members of the Maryland General Assembly during their 2026 session earlier this year.
During that session, Senate Bill 459 was introduced. The bill mandates that at least 50% of state print and digital advertising spending go to qualifying Maryland news outlets, including print, digital and broadcast organizations. It did not increase funding in the state budget for state print and digital advertising spending.
Currently there is good news, not-so-good news, and hopeful news regarding SB459.
The good news is that it was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support. It was approved in the State Senate with 45 yes votes and 0 no votes. It was approved in the State House of Delegates with 129 yes votes and only 7 no votes.
The not-so-good news is SB459 was vetoed by Governor Moore.
The hopeful news is that in his veto message Governor Moore said he “shares the goal of a healthy and sustainable local news ecosystem.” More hopeful news is the Senate sponsor of SB 459 is in discussions with the governor’s office to address the concerns that led to a veto.
If those discussions falter, there are still avenues for SB459 to become law.
The General Assembly can vote to override a gubernatorial veto in two ways.
They can vote to override a veto when they reconvene in January 2027 for their next regular annual session.
They can also override a veto in a called special legislative session that will be held sometime in July, August, or September this year. This session will be called to approve placing a statewide referendum on the November 2026 ballot on drawing new congressional district boundaries for the 2028 congressional election cycle.
Either way, it is critical that meaningful action occurs sooner rather than later on helping everyone in Maryland who is living with loneliness.
2 Responses
isolation, whether real or perceived, effects all segments of our society. It is noteworthy that Surgeon General Murthy recognizes the need to address this issue. However, availability of good information only addresses one of the many factors that come into play when an individual or family suffers from a sense of isolation. Among these myriad factors are financial instability, food instability, homelessness, and lack of access to medical care – often several factors intertwine to create a sense of isolation and hopelessness. The Surgeon General of the U.S. is considered one of the primary spokespersons on health in this country and his comments regarding “isolation” are appreciated as are the author’s comments regarding non-partisan communication. However, comments urging this administration to support Healthcare and social support programs would go much further in combating the epidemic of isolation and hopelessness in this, the richest country on earth. If this administration can spend billions of dollars on an unwanted and unpopular war and hundreds of millions of dollars on vanity construction projects a
while cutting taxes for the ultra-we as lthy and cutting social support spending surely Dr. Murphy can advocate for improved spending on programs that will actually combat isolation.
I’m sorry to read about Dr. Murphy. He will soon be fired by Steven Miller – he who invented family separation just like Putin did in Ukraine.
Loneliness is a real problem. But your party, Mr Reel, cuts all money for mental health. Kid’s get murdered, but it’s not guns. It’s a mental health issue up the very minute of authorizing spending the money. Then we find out America cannot afford to pay for it. We actually cut the money for mental health – the Beautiful Bill that Harris and every Republican voted for. Be we could afford the Iranian war. Indeed, Republicans are all for the billions we spent bring Iran to its knees.
Please, Mr. Reel, own your fidelity to the Republican Party and Donald Trump. In your writings, you repeat their lies about paid demonstrators. That’s a complete lie but you need to repeat it to continue your street creds as an Eastern Shore Republican. Otherwise they will shun you like they shun Mielke. It’s cold out there on that cold lonely crossroad.