News Deserts
75% of Southern counties (50% in the non-South) are “news deserts,” with only one or no newspapers reporting trusted local news.
Counties with no or only one newspaper (“news deserts”)
News deserts as of 2022
The pandemic has accelerated the decline of local news sources across the nation, with newspapers closing at an average rate of 2 per week.1 58% of U.S. counties are what experts call “local news deserts” that have either no newspaper or only one (often a weekly or a thinly staffed daily).2 In the South, 75% of counties are news deserts, compared to only 50% of non-Southern counties.
As local newspapers continue to shut their doors, experts worry that political, cultural, and digital divides across the nation will be further exacerbated. A new study by the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University finds that local news deserts tend to be communities that are older, poorer, and lacking the infrastructure for strong broadband — a crucial means for digital news to fill the gap left by closing print-based newspapers (Lack of Internet, by Race).1,3 Local news sources are essential for dispensing critical local information to small communities. Without them, constituents are forced to rely on national news, which can be more partisan and polarizing; use social media, which can be filled with misinformation and disinformation campaigns; or avoid the news altogether. According to a study by the Reuters Institute, the number of people who actively avoid the news has increased from 38% in 2017 to 42% in 2020, pointing to the repetitiveness of news stories (namely around politics and Covid), negative feelings, and mistrust.4 Regaining trust and providing accessible news are necessary efforts for the future of local news.
“The State of Local News”. Abernathy. Northwestern Local News Initiative. June, 2022. https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/research/state-of-local-news/report/
“News Deserts And Ghost Newspapers: Will Local News Survive?” UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. 2020. https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/news-deserts-and-ghost-newspapers-will-local-news-survive/
“We are becoming a nation of local news haves and have nots”. Waldman. Poynter. July, 2022. https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2022/decline-of-local-news-steven-waldman/
“Overview and key findings of the 2022 Digital News Report”. Newman. Reuters Institute. June, 2022. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022/dnr-executive-summary