Challenges for Local Journalism from a Global Perspective

Local news outlets have been decimated at an alarming rate, a trend exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. News organizations worldwide have been closing their doors or slashing workforces. According to research led by Penny Abernathy, now a Medill Visiting Professor, more than one in four U.S. newspapers shuttered in the 15 years leading to 2020, and half of journalists lost their jobs. Many surviving news outlets are “ghost newspapers,” mere shells of their former selves. The worldwide pandemic turbocharged those trends. With support from KAS, Medill now will examine and produce a report on the effects of these trends on coverage of critical topics like public health, climate disasters and local government/business accountability.