I know this is the “wrong answer” but I have always used Twitter to keep tabs on local government agencies, newspapers, reporters, restaurants, bars, events, concerts, sports teams, etc. Not to mention all the accounts that pertain to my hobby’s and interests.

Yes, it’s a problem. Even several open source projects use Tw(X)tter as their main outlet. A few years ago one project even used it to share an important security update! They must have posted it in their Discourse forum as well but I don’t visit that often. I stumbled upon the important post by coincidence with Nitter (Nitter is declared dead since a few months). Since then, lesson learned, I use some notification.

Really, the right answer here for my needs is that all these groups need to join the fediverse. I just don’t see that happening.

Agreed. Some people stay there because “everyone is there”, or their favorite VIPs are there, or people stay there because they think they should fight the bad things that happened to it from within :/ Sad.

Or maybe I should say I wish the “existing platform” of my city government would start their own instance.

That would be cool.Governments, at least in the country where I live in, need to make an effort to be transparent and reach out to their citizens without creating insurmountable barriers.Start an on-line petition and getting people to sign it, and share with the local government ?