Over 1,000 U.S. Counties Lack Full-Time Local Journalists, Report Finds
CHARLOTTE, NC — A new national report has revealed that more than 1,000 counties in the U.S. — nearly one in three — currently lack the presence of even a single full-time local journalist, highlighting an urgent crisis in community-level reporting.
The alarming finding comes from a joint study released by Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack, which used extensive byline data to identify the decline in local journalist numbers across the country.
Journalist Numbers Drop 75% Since 2002
According to the report, the number of local journalists per capita has dropped by approximately 75% nationwide since 2002. The loss isn’t just measured in shuttered newsrooms, but in the actual number of individuals doing local reporting.
This change translates into fewer watchdogs monitoring city councils, school boards, local courts, and public services — critical elements of democracy that are no longer regularly reported on in many communities.
“Thousands of rural, urban and suburban communities are being left without the basic reporting they need to stay informed, connected and civically engaged,” said Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News, in a statement shared with CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Local News Deficit Hurts Civic Life
The report paints a bleak picture of community knowledge and engagement, where residents may know about national controversies but remain unaware of local hospital conditions, city development plans, or school board decisions.
The study emphasizes how this lack of localized coverage exacerbates national issues like political polarization, misinformation, and public distrust.
“The loss of local news relates to so many other problems plaguing the US: polarization, radicalization, loneliness, lack of trust in everyone and everything,” Stelter noted in a social media post.
Report Highlights Regional Inequity
Some major cities like New York City, San Francisco, and Boston (Suffolk County, MA) still maintain strong local reporting thanks to legacy outlets and new nonprofit startups. However, even major metros like Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, and Las Vegas fall below the national average of journalist density per capita, according to the study.
Rural communities and smaller cities have been especially hard hit. Many of these places only receive media attention during serious crimes or natural disasters, leaving residents largely uninformed about their daily civic environment.
New Models Offer Some Hope
The report notes a growing number of nonprofit digital newsrooms trying to fill the void, including small-scale community-driven news sites and foundation-funded investigative hubs.
Vermont stood out in the report with 27.5 local journalists per 100,000 residents, thanks to its strong combination of legacy publications and nonprofit startups. That number rivals the concentration seen in large media hubs like NYC.
But while these efforts show promise, they haven’t yet reversed the national trend. According to researchers, the pace of nonprofit newsroom growth has slowed in recent years, as detailed in a 2023 Nieman Lab article.
Call for Community Solutions
As national news organizations consolidate and local newspapers shrink or vanish, the report urges local stakeholders, policymakers, and philanthropic groups to step in.
It also emphasizes the role of readers in sustaining local journalism — not just through subscriptions and donations, but also by engaging with and sharing verified local news content in their communities.
Does your county still have an active local journalist? If not, how do you stay informed about city councils, school news, or community safety? Share your experience in the comments — your story matters.
