From Keith Raniere to George Santos, the value of local journalism cannot be overstated. The quote below stands out to us the most; the reporter was Chet Hardin, and the former girlfriend, Toni Natalie. It was 2006.

A reporter working at Metroland, an alt-weekly in Albany, uncovered Raniere’s tactics for persuasion, how he silenced critics and his obsession with a former girlfriend.

Of all the strange things we saw as the Republican-led House tried to elect a speaker last week, a New York representative-elect who embellished, invented and lied about his background was right among them.

But George Santos’ story was on my mind for another reason.

At the end of last year, Sarah Ellison reported for The Washington Post about the North Shore Leader, which questioned Santos’ wealth and background months before The New York Times took up the story.