"Back in 2019, my colleague Kristen Hare wrote a piece for Poynter: "Did we just experience the hardest decade in journalism?" It seemed like a valid question at the time. Newsrooms across the country were being eliminated. Journalists were losing their jobs. News deserts were expanding. Social media was changing how journalists did their job. President Donald Trump was helping to sow distrust in the media by popularizing phrases such as "fake news" and "enemy of the people.""
""Yes, and I've cringed multiple times in the years since it's run," Hare told me. "I do remember it, and when you mentioned that we were going to talk about it, I cringed again, and then went back and read it. And I thought a couple of things. One, I'm really glad that the headline is a question and not a declarative statement, right?""
"And, to be sure, it's not all gloom and doom. Audiences still crave local news. Print newspapers are certainly in decline, but Hare said, "I think that local audiences care less about where their news is coming from and more about how it impacts their lives." Local news is something that affects everybody. It can impact how you vote, it helps explain how your tax dollars are working, and"
Local journalism has endured newsroom closures, widespread job losses, expanding news deserts and rapid changes driven by social media. Political rhetoric and terms like "fake news" and "enemy of the people" have increased public distrust. Conditions have accelerated through 2025, intensifying existing challenges. Audiences continue to seek local reporting that explains how events affect daily life. Print newspaper circulation is declining, yet local audiences prioritize impact over outlet provenance. Local news influences voting, clarifies use of tax dollars and shapes community understanding. Despite structural declines, elements of local journalism still provide essential public service and community information.
Read at Poynter
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