Local news helps communities understand the issues that affect them, equips citizens to participate in democracy by voting and contacting public officials, and holds government accountable. It’s an essential element of a healthy democracy, but research shows that hundreds of newspapers have closed in recent years and that many more are at risk.
This report examines a variety of strategies that can help local news to survive and thrive. Some, like partnerships between smaller and larger newsrooms (like ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network), can bring resources to tell complex stories that require extensive time commitments. Others, like solutions journalism and restorative narratives, can encourage civic engagement. Still others, like specialized digital platforms, can make local news available to audiences that may otherwise not have access.
For example, when the small town of Eudora, Kansas, lost its only newspaper in 2019, it was replaced by a site run by journalism students. The paper uses a mix of local government, sports and business beats to provide comprehensive coverage for its community. In Hawaii, a series on climate change by Honolulu Civil Beat led to increased interest in the issue among legislators and a boost in support for activists fighting the problem.
While the loss of local newspapers has been dire, some promising new models have emerged. The hope is that these innovations — including for-profit and nonprofit ventures, legacy and digital-only start-ups and community organizations — can scale so that the thousands of communities that have lost their local newspaper will also have an alternative.
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