"Medill's 2025 State of Local News report tracked 136 newspaper closures over the past year, up from 130 last year. In total, the country has lost nearly 3,500 newspapers and more than 270,000 newspaper jobs over the past two decades, leaving 50 million people in "news deserts," areas where people have limited or no access to reliable local news sources."
"He noted that small, independent owners tend to live in rural areas with less access to capital. Rising newsprint costs and declining advertising demand have increased pressure on those owners. Zach Metzger, the report's author and director of Medill's State of Local News project, added that newspapers belonging to longtime, independent owners often lack a succession plan for when their owner dies."
136 newspaper closures occurred over the past year, up from 130 the prior year. Over two decades, nearly 3,500 newspapers and more than 270,000 newspaper jobs have been lost, leaving about 50 million people in news deserts with limited or no access to reliable local reporting. Closures this year mainly affected smaller chains and independent owners, including the 141-year-old Chesterton Tribune and the Eagle Times, creating new local news voids. Independent owners often lived in the communities they served and were trusted, but they face rising newsprint costs, declining advertising revenue, limited capital, and frequent lack of succession plans. Most closures were weeklies; dailies fell below 1,000.
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