Missing the point: You can’t rebuild local journalism without local newspapers

Despite being the most visible and established local news presence in most communities, newspapers are typically left out of major funding efforts. The focus, instead, is on digital startups, new platforms and toolkits designed to support emerging models. The problem? You can’t rebuild local journalism at scale while sidelining the organizations still doing the work.”

America's Newspapers

The data is in, and it’s hard to ignore.

According to the recently released Local Journalist Index, the number of local reporters serving American communities has declined by more than 75% since 2002. One in three counties now has fewer than one full-time local journalist. Hundreds of communities have no local reporter at all.

This is not just a media story. It’s a real problem for the communities without local news. When no one is covering school boards, city councils, public budgets or community health decisions, the public is left uninformed — and unrepresented.

That’s why the latest announcement from Press Forward — the nation’s largest philanthropic funder of local news — was met with equal parts optimism and concern. Their new Infrastructure 2025 initiative will inject millions into local news, focusing on technology, training and support for emerging digital and nonprofit models.

But notably missing from the list of priorities? Local newspapers. And that’s a serious oversight.

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