Local news provides essential information to local communities about what’s happening in their towns, cities and neighborhoods. It enables them to understand what’s at stake in local elections, equips them to get involved in civic activities like voting and contacting public officials or running for office, reduces political polarization, and holds government accountable. Yet the research shows that the decline of local news is having serious consequences for American democracy.
In recent years, many once stand-alone iconic weekly newspapers have merged with metro and regional dailies, while small town newspapers have disappeared. The number of communities without local news is now in the thousands.
A growing number of foundations and high-net worth individuals are funding local news, and some newer nonprofit and for-profit news organizations are gaining traction. But they need more support to mature into community stalwarts.
Despite a widespread perception that the media is biased and partisan, Americans say they trust local news more than national news. They also say that it’s the best source of information about their communities and hold local news organizations in higher esteem than national media outlets.
Local news covers a broad range of topics—from useful daily information about weather, traffic and crime to civic and economic information such as local government and the economy, and cultural news about sports and the arts. Americans who report being very attached to their communities are the most likely to follow all of these topics, although they are only about twice as likely as those who are less attached to their communities to report following local sports news.