Local newspaper losses in the U.S. 2004-2023

A report on local news in the United States revealed that 2,627 weekly publications closed or merged with other papers between 2004 and 2023, with the number of non-daily papers falling from over 7.4 thousand to less than 4.8 thousand in that period. Dailies also saw a decline, with just over 1,200 in publication in 2023. Whilst this is evidently bad news for papers now out of print, the loss of local news also impacts communities reliant upon it.

News deserts: the state of play

News deserts are counties without access to or with very limited access to local news. As the number of local newspapers in publication continues to fall, many smaller, rural communities are left without coverage of their immediate area. Although some companies are attempting to preserve local news, many outlets have been merged, acquired by investors outside the industry, or have dissolved completely.

Impact on the consumer

Local news is overall more trusted than national news, and not only for its impartiality. Looking at U.S. opinions of national news, over 70 percent believe that national news has the resources to report the news accurately, however only around a third feel that national news operates in the interests of its readers or can be relied upon for important information. Without local news outlets, audiences in non-urban areas without relevant coverage may choose not to engage with news at all if they feel their only options are those they do not trust and do not represent them – a bad sign for publishers given that news avoidance is already on the rise.