Newspapers across the United States are closing at a staggering pace of more than two per week, deepening a crisis in local journalism, according to the latest report from Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative. The 2024 State of Local News Report, released by the Medill School of Journalism, reveals that 130 newspapers vanished in the past year alone, a rate of roughly 2.5 closures weekly, mirroring the 131 lost between 2022 and 2023. This relentless decline is stripping some communities of their last local news outlets, creating “news deserts” that leave residents without vital information on everything from city council decisions to school board updates.
The report, spearheaded by Senior Associate Dean Tim Franklin, paints a grim picture: since 2005, the U.S. has lost over one-third of its newspapers, with 5,595 still standing—1,033 dailies and 4,562 weeklies—as of September 2024. More than 200 counties now have no local news source at all, while over 1,500 rely on just one outlet, often a skeletal “ghost newspaper” recycling content from elsewhere. The Medill study identifies 279 counties on a “watch list” for losing coverage entirely, up 22% from last year.
Economic pressures and the digital shift are key culprits. As ad revenue evaporates—diverted to tech giants like Google and Meta—newsrooms slash staff or fold. Only a third of daily papers still print seven days a week, and many surviving outlets churn out repurposed wire stories rather than original reporting. Yet, amid the gloom, digital startups offer a flicker of hope: 81 new sites launched in 2023, the most since Medill began tracking in 2018, though 90% serve metro areas, leaving rural regions underserved.
This all comes as local TV stations are also making cuts to local news. A trend that is likely to speed up in the years to come if advertising revenue doesn’t turn around.
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