Local news serves a critical function: informing and connecting communities, promoting accountability and transparency, providing essential information and supporting local businesses. It also plays a vital role in preventing local civic life from disintegrating and ensuring that public services are delivered.
While there are some signs of progress, this year’s report, which is part of our ongoing State of Local News project, finds that local news outlets face a host of challenges and remain at risk of disappearing from the landscape. The decline in advertising revenue continues to be the biggest challenge for most local newspapers. And while major philanthropies are increasing their support for local journalism, it is not yet enough to offset the loss in advertising revenue.
In addition, the lack of reliable high-speed Internet continues to limit the ability of many digital-only news sites, such as the Moab Sun News in Utah, to reach new audiences and achieve sustainability. It also limits the ability of these digital outlets to fill the information gaps that occur in rural and suburban communities without a local newspaper.
Most people who get local news say they get it from a combination of sources, including print and online. More than half say they get news from daily newspapers, and two-thirds or more say they get it from non-daily media such as websites, apps, email or social media. A smaller share gets it from radio or television. Those who get local news most often say they want to hear more about weather, crime and government and politics, but are just as interested in stories about schools, the arts, the economy and local sports.