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Sara Fischer: Most U.S. counties have little to no local news sources
This piece is by WWSG exclusive thought leader, Sara Fischer.
An uptick in newspaper closures this year has left more than half of the nation’s 3,143 counties — or 55 million people — with just one or no local news sources where they live.
Why it matters: The rapid rise of digital local news sites isn’t enough to offset the dramatic rate of newspaper closures.
- Digital news outlets also tend to serve urban and coastal communities, which are less likely to become news deserts.
By the numbers: The U.S. saw 127 newspapers close in the last year at a rate of roughly two and a half per week, according to a new report from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
- As of this year, the U.S. has lost more than one-third of its newspapers (3,300) compared to 2005 — a statistic Medill projected last year.
- There’s been a 73% decline in newspaper jobs during that time, representing one of the most significant declines in employment across any sector over the past two decades.
- U.S. newspaper circulation is down to roughly 40 million, compared to more than 115 million in 2005, a 65% decline.
Zoom in: The number of local “news deserts,” or counties without a single source of local news, rose to 208 this year from 204 in 2023.
- The number of U.S. counties at high risk of losing all local news sources skyrocketed 22% in that same time period.
Between the lines: News deserts tend to be poorer, older, and less educated.
- The median income of a household in a news desert is $57,000 compared to the U.S. average of $74,000. The percentage of people in those counties with a bachelor’s degree or higher is 18.2%, less than have of the national average.
- The vast majority of news deserts (75%) are also rural. In recent years, rural populations have shifted dramatically toward Republicans politically, according to Pew.
Zoom out: A significant increase in philanthropic funding for local news over the last year has given rise to more digital local news sites than ever, offering researchers a glimmer of hope for the future.
- Last year, the number of new standalone local news websites increased by 81 to more than 630, a year-over-year record, which is notable given how costly it is to operate a standalone news operation that isn’t tied to a bigger network of sites. More than one-third of those new sites belong to local newspapers that converted from print to digital.
- The rise of local digital news sites that are part of larger networks also continues to grow. Medill tracked over 700 local news sites belonging to 22 broader local networks such as Patch, Axios Local, and TAPinto.
Reality check: Most counties that lose a newspaper are unlikely to see a replacement, even though there are more new digital local news sites than ever.
- More than 95% of all local digital news sites belonging to a broader network are located in just 179 metropolitan counties. Of those 740 sites, none cover countries that were previously news deserts.
- Nearly 90% of all new standalone local news sites are also in metro areas.
What to watch: A significant number of newspapers (258) changed hands over the past year, compared to 2023 (180).
- While large chains mostly owned by hedge funds or private equity groups continue to dominate the industry, more newspapers this year were sold out of corporate control and returned to local ownership groups that are typically more committed to on-the-ground coverage.
- Across 500 news outlets from the five largest chain owners studied by Medill, one-third had homepage content that originates from an outside source, such as a wire service, instead of the newsroom itself.
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