News Deserts

Southerners are more likely to live in news deserts, meaning less access to critical information.

Counties with no or only one newspaper (“news deserts”)

News deserts as of 2022

Source: Northwestern Medill Local News Initiative.

Southern counties are more likely to be what experts call “news deserts,” counties that have either no or only one newspaper. 75% of Southern counties are news deserts, compared to only 50% of non-Southern counties. The steady decline of local newspapers across the nation has accelerated since the start of the pandemic, with over 300 news sources closing their doors.^{1 Large newspaper companies like Gannett play a major role in the now rapidly consolidating industry. While Gannett owns the largest number of newspapers across the nation, it continues to significantly cut staffing, leaving its remaining newspapers across the nation weakened.2,3,4,5}

Rapidly disappearing trusted local news sources leave room for misinformation and disinformation to flourish.⁶ Mis- and disinformation circulated prior to the 2022 midterm elections, ranging from false information campaigns in multiple languages to candidates falsifying or embellishing their backgrounds — with little to no community accountability.^7,8,9,10,11 Experts have identified some of these sources as “pink slime” journalism: political propaganda that disguises itself as legitimate local news.¹² A Stanford University study under preliminary review finds that consumer usage of these sites still remains low, signaling that the ability to revive trusted local news remains hopeful. Community- and federal-based solutions, ranging from local news initiatives supported by nonprofit organizations, to legislation such as the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (a bipartisan bill that would provide tax credits for subscriptions and employment at local news organizations), are critical to revitalizing local news.^13,14

1. “The State of Local News”. Abernathy. Northwestern Local News Initiative. June, 2022. https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/research/state-of-local-news/report/ 

2. “How America’s largest newspaper company is leaving behind news deserts”. Restrepo. NPR. April, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/10/1169014791/news-us-newspaper-latest-gannet-media 

3. “Gannett ends online comments for a majority of its news sites”. Fu. Poynter. February, 2023. https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2023/gannett-ends-news-website-comments-sections/ 

4. “Gannett owns a student paper. It also experienced cuts”. Fu. Poynter. January, 2023. https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2023/gannett-cuts-fsview-florida-flambeau-tallahassee-student-newspaper/ 

5. “CORPORATE PROFIT MOTIVE OFTEN CLASHES WITH LOCAL NEWS NEEDS”. McKenzie. UVA Today. March, 2023. https://news.virginia.edu/content/corporate-profit-motive-often-clashes-local-news-needs 

6. “Battleground States See the Most Voting Misinformation”. Alba. The New York Times. November, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/02/technology/battleground-states-see-the-most-voting-misinformation.html

7. “Misinformation Swirls in Non-English Languages Ahead of Midterms”. Hsu. The New York Times. October, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/business/media/midterms-foreign-language-misinformation.html

8. “Latino voters are being flooded with even more misinformation in 2022”. Paz. Vox. September, 2022. https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23329139/latino-voters-misinformation-2022

9. “U.S. election misinformation limited, not stopped, on social media -experts”. Dang, Dave. Reuters. November, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-social-platforms-could-see-spike-election-misinformation-2022-11-09/

10. “Phantom Candidates and Ghost Newspapers”. Waldman. The Bulwark. January, 2023. https://www.thebulwark.com/phantom-candidates-and-ghost-newspapers/?utm_source=Poynter+Institute&utm_campaign=1a70c6de56-DATE+Local+Edition_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_26742a15dc-1a70c6de56-428537627

11. “George Santos Is in a Class of His Own. But Other Politicians Have Embellished Their Resumes, Too”. Vigdor. The New York Times. December, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/us/politics/george-santos-resume-lies-politicians.html 

12. “As ‘pink slime’ aims to fill local news vacuum, is anyone reading?” Caro. Northwestern Local News Initiative. March, 2023. https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2023/03/28/pink-slime-stanford-study/ 

13. “Summary: H.R.3940 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)”. Congress.Gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3940

14. “Rebuilding Local News”. Rebuild Local News. https://www.rebuildlocalnews.org/solutions/our-plan/