The collapse of traditional local journalism follows a predictable pattern: a dedicated local newspaper is hollowed out by corporate consolidation creating a vacuum where municipal power operates completely unmonitored.
In Shorewood, the retreat of legacy media like the Sun Sailor and other print publications directly enabled the creation of a “news desert”—a dangerous reality that the Shorewood Citizen Advocates (SCA) has stepped in to combat.
Here is an overview of how legacy media’s departure fundamentally altered Shorewood governance, and how SCA has re-established the neighborhood oversight that traditional community journalism abandoned:
The Era of the Full Newsroom vs. The News Desert:
Years ago, the Sun Sailor acted as a literal and psychological barrier against municipal overreach. They maintained a dedicated reporter whose job was to sit in the council chambers during every Shorewood City Council session.
The Legacy Watchdog:
Because city staff and elected officials knew a reporter was taking notes, reviewing the agenda packets, and printing the outcomes, there was a natural deterrent against slipped-in fees and backroom deals with consultants. developers and contractors.
The Corporate Retreat:
As regional media chains consolidated, local newsrooms were gutted, local reporters were laid off, or their coverage areas stretched so thin that meeting attendance became impossible. The Sun Sailor transformed from a watchdog into a passive repository for pre-packaged city press releases and legal notices. When the Sun Sailor abandoned its post in the council chambers, Shorewood effectively became a localized news desert.
The Consequences of Zero Oversight:
A news desert does not just mean fewer stories about community events; it fundamentally changes how city hall operates. Without an independent journalist translating complex budget details, Shorewood elected officials and Shorewood city staff gained an unprecedented level of unilateral freedom.
The Cover-Up of Inefficiencies:
In the unmonitored system, Shorewood city projects may have suffered from unnecessary costs, delays, and flawed engineering design without the public ever finding out. When a multi-million-dollar project was proposed, ran over budget or resulted in damaged neighborhoods, the lack of press oversight could allow staff to bury the project or failure deep within a 500-page agenda packet.
The Shift to Hidden Taxes and Utility Fees:
When Shorewood politicians feared voter backlash from property tax hikes, the news desert allowed them to use alternative funding mechanisms. Until recently Shorewood quietly increased water, sewer and sanitary sewer utility fees. Feeling emboldened in 2026 the city utility fees skyrocketed by as much as 40%. Residents were furious. Hidden fees from Xcel and CenterPoint are a tax on residents and appear as a city “franchise fees” on their monthly bills. Because these don’t show up on the primary “tax levy” line item that residents typically watch, they act as hidden taxes—funding bloated city projects while keeping the public completely in the dark.
The New Era: Hyper-local Shorewood Citizen Advocates Replaced Traditional Media:
Shorewood Citizen Advocates did not form in a vacuum; it is a direct response to the news desert left behind by the Sun Sailor. Operating under the motto “We watch so you don’t have to,” SCA has effectively taken over the position of corporate media, but with a sharper focused edge.
In a future post I’ll discuss specifics on how Shorewood’s livability, environment and finances have been impacted by the media desert and the resulting lack of government accountability.
Greg Larson
More reading:
The Tax You Don’t Know About (SCA, 2026)
Essential Reading: 118% Tax Increase (SCA, 2025)
