The forces at play in a fight for local news

Statista trend report on how the local news landscape is changing

The forces at play in a fight for local news

The continued disappearance of local news in the United States is an ongoing issue for publishers and consumers alike. Whilst at first glance it would be easy to attribute local newspaper closures to the decline of print media in general, the situation is rather more complex than that. Acquisitions of small papers by investors like hedge fund Alden Global Capital have heavily impacted the number of papers still in publication and reduced consumers' access to news covering their local area. In fact, Alden is now the second largest owner of newspapers in the United States.

This report explores the impact of the loss of local news, including the spread of news deserts and the effect of limited coverage in underrepresented areas. Further, the report draws attention to the companies intervening in a bid to regrow this struggling arm of the news industry.

Table of contents

Changes to the news ownership landscape

  • A glance at employment
  • Closures and ownership changes

Creeping news drought
  • The impact of hedge fund ownership
  • Consumer trust
  • News deserts

Regreening the local news landscape
  • The new regional newspaper barons
  • Profile: Paxton and Ogden
  • CherryRoad Media

The future – what happens next?

    Statista report shop

    Explore all Statista reports

    We provide information on industries, companies, consumers, trends, countries, and politics, covering the latest and most important issues in a condensed format.

    Contact

    Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
    Statista Locations
    Contact Meredith Alda
    Meredith Alda
    Sales Manager– Contact (United States)

    Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

    Contact Yolanda Mega
    Yolanda Mega
    Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)

    Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

    Contact Ayana Mizuno
    Ayana Mizuno
    Junior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)

    Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

    Contact Lodovica Biagi
    Lodovica Biagi
    Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)

    Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

    Contact Carolina Dulin
    Carolina Dulin
    Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)

    Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)