Independent newspapers disappear as private investment firms take over
Summary
A report from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism shows that small, independent newspapers in the U.S. are closing rapidly compared to those owned by large investment firms. These closures increase the risk of some areas becoming "news deserts," where local news is scarce or unavailable. Challenges like the pandemic and changes in advertising markets are partly to blame for these closures.Key Facts
- Many independent newspapers, often family or community-owned, are shutting down faster than newspapers owned by big investment firms.
- "News deserts" are areas with little or no local news access, often found in rural places.
- About half of the 136 newspaper closures in the last 14 months were from independent groups with five or fewer papers.
- In the same period, only eight newspapers owned by investment firms closed.
- Economic problems from the pandemic have increased the rate of newspaper closures.
- Over the past 20 years, more than one-third of U.S. newspapers have shut down.
- There are currently 213 U.S. counties without a local news source and 1,524 counties with only one.
- Although digital-only news outlets are growing, most serve urban areas, not rural ones.
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