Overview
- Report finds U.S. journalist ranks plunged by more than 75% since 2002, dropping from roughly 40 to 8.2 per 100,000 residents
- More than 1,000 counties—one in three—lack the equivalent of a single full-time local journalist, leaving communities without basic news coverage
- Major metros such as Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix and Dallas home counties have journalist densities at about half the national average
- The study’s reliance on online article counts likely omits print-only outlets and social media–only newsrooms, understating the true scale of shortages
- Legislation to subsidize local outlets has progressed in New Jersey and California as philanthropic and tax-incentive proposals gain momentum