Last year, you wrote The Forgotten, a book about the role that Luzerne County, Pa., played in the 2016 election. What should we know about places like Luzerne ahead of next year's presidential race?

Though traditionally Democratic and carried by Barack Obama twice, Luzerne surprised many by surging for Donald Trump in 2016 and playing a key role in his winning Pennsylvania—and the presidency. It remains a swing county, with many pro-Trump voters, despite his looming impeachment and a fragile local economy. A key election issue will be whether Trump can expand his base, and Luzerne will help answer that question.

The Internet has devastated jobs in local newsrooms. How do you think traditional newspapers, big and small, will fare in the 2020s?

Big papers like the New York Times and Washington Post will continue to thrive, while local and regional papers will continue to struggle. The Post has provided an immense public service in uncovering and publishing “The Afghanistan Papers’’—military documents and interviews with American officials showing that the U.S. has learned little or nothing during nearly 20 years in Afghanistan. This is the Pentagon Papers redux, nearly 50 years on, and shows why newspapers are still so important to our troubled democracy.

Read the full article about the importance of local journalism by Charles F. McElwee at City Journal.