The importance of "local"

In a post titled Jarvis Is A Local Yokel, Stowe Boyd takes on the received wisdom about local media content.  He writes:

... I think one reason the local newspapers are falling by the wayside, in a time of increased mobility and generations of growing mobility behind us is that people have less connections to the specific turf that they sleep in or work in. The social capital in the neighborhood continues to dwindle.  ¶  In its place is -- for some -- an increased sense of involvement with those most local in our non-geographic social networks.  ¶  Locality is changing. It is coming to mean those that we are close to, no matter where they reside, no matter their mother tongue, no matter where they lay their heads. ...

Link:  /Message.  --Dennis