Chart of the week
News Deserts
What does this chart show?
~21% of the U.S. population lives in news deserts, areas with very limited access to local news. 200 counties have no local newspaper and 1,630 counties have only one paper, usually a weekly that covers multiple communities.
Why does it matter?
Local newspapers are going extinct at a rapid rate as the advertising business model they relied upon has almost entirely dried up1. Since 2005, more than 25% of the country's newspapers have been discontinued. Two newspapers a week are going by the wayside2 and we’re on track to lose a third of all newspapers by 2025. Economically struggling communities have most often been the ones to lose their local news organizations and they often don’t get a replacement, even in digital form.
The Bottom Line
Local journalism serves an important information and watchdog function in communities by providing transparency and oversight of local government and business decisions. When the presses stop, communities lose.
Chart & Data Sources - The State of Local News and CBS Sunday Morning
Thank you for those statistics!
Yes I think you’re right. Full time journalists are much better positioned to provide oversight than members of the community.
Thank you for the chart Jack!
Is it fair to say that most people in small communities now get their local news through Facebook groups? I’d assume though the subjects discussed are not the same.