Some 50 million Americans live in places with either one or zero news sources, State of Local News report says | Fortune

  either-one-or-zero-news-sources-state-of-local-news-report-says-fortune.html
  Media and Entertainment on Tue, Oct 21st, 2025 by Fortune

The Shrinking Pulse of American Local News: A Deep Dive into the 2025 Crisis

In October 2025, Fortune released an extensive look at the accelerating crisis in local journalism, charting a path that many communities across the United States are now walking toward an uncharted future. The piece underscores that the decline of local news is not a series of isolated incidents but a systemic shift with far‑reaching implications for democracy, civic engagement, and community identity.

A Landscape in Transition

The article opens by noting that more than 400 local newspapers, radio stations, and television outlets have either shut down or been sold to larger conglomerates in the last decade. This wave of closures has left vast swaths of the country, particularly rural counties and small towns, without any reliable source of local reporting. Fortune’s investigation highlights that the average American town now faces a “news desert” that ranges from the absence of daily newspapers to a dearth of local investigative journalism.

The author references data from the Pew Research Center’s 2024 Local News Survey, which found that 70 percent of Americans who grew up in a small town reported losing the local paper or news broadcast in their adult years. This loss is not merely a cultural void; the article ties it directly to declines in voter turnout, community participation, and awareness of local policy issues.

The Economic Engine That Crashed

A core element of the crisis is the fragile economic model that has long sustained local news. The piece traces how the collapse of classified advertising, the shift of ad dollars to digital platforms like Google and Facebook, and the rising costs of newsroom operations have eroded the revenue base of local outlets. It cites the 2023 “Local News Business Review” that estimated the average small-market newspaper’s profit margin fell from 7 percent in 2010 to a mere 1 percent in 2023.

Fortune also explores the impact of the “Big Three” media conglomerates—Gannett, Tribune Publishing, and Lee Enterprises—whose strategies to streamline operations have led to staff reductions, pay cuts, and the outsourcing of investigative work. In some cases, the consolidation has resulted in a homogenized coverage that strips communities of voices and stories unique to them.

The Role of Philanthropy and Public Funding

The article delves into the increasing involvement of foundations and government entities in filling the vacuum. The Knight Foundation’s “Journalism Innovation Fund” is cited as an example of philanthropic investment, which has granted over $150 million to local news projects since 2019. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Justice for Journalism” initiative has earmarked funds to support independent investigative journalism in underserved areas.

However, the piece argues that while these interventions are vital, they are not a panacea. Philanthropic grants often come with constraints, and public funding is subject to political shifts that can affect long‑term stability. In an interview with a former journalist-turned-activist, the article points out that reliance on outside funding may undermine the editorial independence of local outlets, leading to a “perverse incentive” to tailor content to donor expectations.

Innovation, Experimentation, and the Digital Frontier

Fortune’s writers highlight a number of local journalism experiments that attempt to redefine sustainability. Models such as the “community‑supported newsroom”—where readers subscribe to a pay‑wall that directly funds reporting—are gaining traction. The piece discusses the “Pittsburgh Post Gazette” experiment, which shifted from print to a digital‑first, subscription‑based platform, reportedly doubling its readership within six months.

The article also reviews the rise of “news aggregators” and “crowdsourced journalism” platforms that leverage AI to sift through data and provide basic reporting. While some critics view these tools as a stopgap, others argue they could democratize journalism by allowing community members to report on local events directly.

The Consequences of a News Desert

A compelling portion of the article centers on tangible outcomes of diminished local coverage. In a case study of the rural town of Leland, Mississippi, the piece documents how the closure of the town’s daily paper coincided with a 15 percent drop in voter turnout in the 2024 election, a surge in local crime reports, and a decline in small‑business revenue. In contrast, cities that maintained a robust local media presence saw higher civic engagement metrics and better economic resilience during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Fortune also includes a perspective from a public policy analyst who argues that the loss of local journalism creates “information vacuums” that can be exploited by misinformation and political manipulation. The article posits that a healthy local press acts as a watchdog, ensuring that elected officials and public institutions remain accountable.

Looking Ahead

The article closes with a call to action for a multi‑stakeholder approach. It stresses the necessity for public policy reforms that incentivize local journalism, for corporate responsibility from advertising platforms, and for community-driven support mechanisms. The writers suggest that while the crisis is severe, it also opens an opportunity for reimagining journalism in a way that places communities, not profits, at the center.

In sum, Fortune’s October 2025 piece paints a stark portrait of a nation’s local news infrastructure in peril, but also offers a roadmap of innovative solutions that, if adopted broadly, could preserve the essential democratic function of local journalism for generations to come.