Of all the obstacles our country and all its founding ideals have faced in recent years, an informed and engaged public (or lack thereof) is quickly vaulting to the top of the list as the media landscape evolves — and in some places, vanishes.

These days, it’s almost impossible for anyone to get their news without hitting some kind of roadblock. Just about every news source or website — even CNN — hides stories behind paywalls now. The countless attacks on those of us trying our hardest to keep the public informed has been discouraging to many aspiring reporters (such as myself).

And let’s face it: the media landscape is evolving at a rapid pace with no signs of slowing down.

Those of us who live in Georgia learned last week that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — one of the largest and most important news sources in this region of the country — will be doing away with its daily print edition by the end of the year and becoming an exclusively digital outlet.

This probably isn’t a big deal for a paper as big as the AJC because they are fortunate to be in a market large enough to adapt to the digital age. Smaller markets and counties have seen their daily papers lay off their entire newsrooms and cease operations altogether.

Still, it could have enormous ramifications for readers — some of whom may still religiously clip coupons out of the Sunday edition every weekend. Pulling up an episode of your favorite podcast seems like second nature for many of us, but there are still plenty of people who may not even know what a podcast is. How will these readers be able to obtain information going forward?

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the troubling environment facing the press and those of us who look to have a future in this field. Attacks on journalism (from those at the very top) are unlike anything we’ve seen in our lives, leading some of us to wonder if this is even a field worth pursuing.

And recent funding cuts to public media have only exacerbated these concerns. For many people, especially those who live in what are called “news deserts,” public media is their only source for not just news, but life-changing weather events, locally-produced content and calendars of events happening in their communities.

We are also living in a time of media consolidation as linear television tries to catch up with the streaming age. A lot of the focus lately has been on Paramount and CBS for obvious reasons.

But we learned earlier this month that TEGNA, the corporate parent of Atlanta’s 11Alive News and Macon’s 13WMAZ, is being scooped up by media giant Nexstar in a deal worth more than $6 billion (yes, that’s “billion” with a “b”) as federal regulators look to ease the ownership restrictions that would have otherwise prevented this kind of merger.

If approved, Nexstar’s already-large footprint would more than double in size: they currently reach 39 percent — the current federal limit — of all U.S. households.

“Once completed, the merger will see Nexstar emerge with 265 local TV stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and 132 of the country’s 210 television DMAs, or Nielsen’s Designated Market Areas. The combined company will have stations in 9 of the top 10 DMAs, 41 of the top 50 DMAs, 62 of the top 75 DMAs and 82 of the top 100 DMAs, covering, in total, 80 percent of U.S. TV households.”

Aside from the obvious impact this would have on the industry — mass layoffs, newsroom consolidations and other cost-cutting moves — it will also decrease the competition we are so used to seeing between local network affiliates and their news operations.

Take Indianapolis, for example, where Nexstar presently owns both the CBS and Fox stations. A Tegna merger would also give them control over NBC affiliate WTHR Channel 13, meaning they would be operating three network affiliates in one market alone.

So even in bigger cities, we are seeing a rapid decline in the number of reliable news sources as the federal government moves to consolidate the industry through M&As (mergers and acquisitions). The owners of these stations may save some money in the long run, but this all leaves confused viewers with fewer sources for important information like their news and weather.

As (aspiring) journalists, we do more than just write stories and conduct interviews. In many cases, we are the last lines of defense against unchecked power, misinformation and cynicism. When newsrooms consolidate or shutter their operations altogether, it’s not just jobs that are lost: every laid off journalist equals one less connection between people in power and the communities they serve.

I’m not demanding anyone to go buy every print copy of a newspaper they can get their hands on. But donating to your local public stations, subscribing to your favorite papers and raising awareness on social media are just some of the ways you can support this evolving field at a time when we need it most.

As for me? I don’t yet know exactly what (or where) my role will be in this shifting landscape. But I do know what won’t change: my commitment to telling the truth, to making complex issues accessible, and ensuring that no one — no matter where they live or how they get their news — is left in the dark.