It’s not news that the newspaper industry has seen dramatic changes over the years with the development of the internet. Digitization has enabled information to be shared in real time to any audience at low cost. The number of newspaper subscribers and taken a nosedive over the past decade.
Large national publications with ample financial resources such as the Washington Post and the New York Times have undergone large-scale digital transformation. These publications have managed to raise funds and found ways to transform their business model. They can also leverage the brand recognition and already large subscriber base to build a huge pool of digital audience.
However, smaller local publications have not braved the digital storm so well. According to a new UNC study, a quarter of all US newspapers have died in the past 15 years. Most of them are local newspapers and journals. As a result, at least 1,800 communities that had local news outlet in 2004 were without one in early 2020.
Local newspapers are important because they typically report events that are most relevant to the local community that are not picked up by regional or national publications. The most pertinent example to demonstrate the importance of local news is the coronavirus pandemic, during which it is of vital importance to stay updated with the local news.
To save local newspapers, advocates are pushing for Congress to consider providing government support for local news outlets, such as small business loans and tax credits for journalist employment etc.
References:
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/local-news-is-dying-and-americans-have-no-idea/585772/
https://www.poynter.org/locally/2020/unc-news-deserts-report-2020/
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