Editorial: Continue discussion on local journalism support
By The Herald Editorial Board
For a decade, the Medill School of Journalism has charted the expansion of “news deserts” in the United States and — looking at some 20 years of data — now counts 213 counties in the U.S. without a single local source of reporting, be that newspapers, websites or radio or television stations. And even those communities that have such sources of local journalism are becoming more “arid” as they lose outlets and remaining publications see newsroom staffing significantly reduced.
Almost 40 percent of all local U.S. newspapers have vanished in the two-decade period, leaving 50 million Americans with limited or no access to a reliable source of local news, the school’s most recent report found. And newspapers continue to disappear at the same rate as in 2024, with more than 130 closed in 2025.
While the Medill report sees some hope in the growth of digital news sites, it hasn’t been enough to slake the continuing drought.
“Meanwhile,” the report continues, “the journalism industry faces new and intensified challenges including: shrinking circulation and steep losses of revenue from changes to search and the adoption of AI technologies, while political attacks against public broadcasters threaten to leave large swaths of rural America without local news.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-continue-discussion-on-local-journalism-support/