Local news is a crucial lever in democracy; it boosts voter turnout, helps hold officials accountable and reduces political polarization. But many communities are losing access to it. In recent years, hundreds of newspapers have closed, leaving some communities with no news sources at all. Research shows that these “news deserts” can also contribute to other worrisome trends, including decreased civic engagement and community building, higher crime rates and even a decline in local business activity.
The good news is that, despite the financial challenges, most Americans see value in local journalism and are reasonably satisfied with the quality of what they receive. In our 2022 survey, a large majority of Americans say they think local news outlets do a very good job of keeping them informed about their communities, reporting the news accurately and serving as a watchdog over elected leaders. The vast majority also say their local news organizations are doing well financially.
Most people get their local news from a mix of sources, including traditional print and digital media, social media, online forums, radio and television broadcasts. Our 2022 survey asked respondents who at least sometimes get each type of local news how satisfied they are with the coverage they receive. With the exception of weather, fewer than half of those who consume news about each topic (except schools) say they are extremely or very satisfied.
A variety of for-profit and nonprofit ventures are developing innovative ways to fill the local news void. But they face enormous challenges and will have to scale in order to provide the thousands of communities that have lost their local newspaper with a sustainable, quality alternative. This report aims to help inform the conversation among journalists, media and business leaders, policy makers and philanthropists on how best to tackle this growing challenge.
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