News deserts are expanding in the United States, according to the 2024 State of Local News report.
The worrying findings show that more than half of Americans have either no local news source or only one.
During our recent visit to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Chicago, Interim Executive Director of the Local News Initiative Mackenzie Warren, presented the key findings of the report.
In 2024 alone, 127 newspapers shut down, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited or no access to local news. This is just the latest addition to a long-term trend that has continued for the past two decades.
Currently, more than 200 counties in the United States have no locally based news source. In 2024, the number of counties with only one news outlet reached 1,563 out of 3,143.
According to the Medill Local News Initiative, the research shows that the local news crisis is deepening, and fewer Americans have access to the information they need about their communities to be informed citizens.
The consequences of this trend are deeply concerning.
I believe the lack of information can lead to, for example, declining voter turnout and increased spread of misinformation. Without local news, citizens are also less likely to hold public officials accountable. In short, a lack of information weakens democracy, as people may not know what their local governments are doing.
Expanding news deserts faced another setback this summer when Congress eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting in a narrow, party-line vote. The Republican-led move left hundreds of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) stations without federal support, prompting them to launch emergency fundraising drives and appeal to listeners for support.
According to reporting by CBS, NPR is encouraging donors in wealthier areas to adopt stations in poorer ones.
“Public media, public radio and public television are a critical part of the emergency response plans of nearly half of the states,” NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher told CBS News.
“If these types of emergency alerting go away, you will have fewer outlets able to respond in real time” to future natural disasters, she added.
In remote areas, such as much of Alaska, radio can be the only lifeline during natural disasters. Live updates and instructions are broadcast over the radio to reach residents in areas that may not have reliable cellphone service.
Congress’ decision to cut funding for public broadcasting has put 245 public broadcasting grantees in rural communities, including 27 stations in Alaska, at risk of going off the air, The New York Times reported.
Many Alaskan stations have received more than half of their annual budgets from federal grants. The cuts will immediately lead to staff reductions and scaled-back services.
Ben Knowles, the director of fire and emergency services in Unalaska, explained to The New York Times how much he relies on the local radio station for emergency response planning and preparedness. “The more channels you have to get a message out whether that’s a lockdown, a hazardous materials release in the area, or an evacuation notice, the more people you’re going to reach,” Knowles said.
Despite the growing news deserts, the Medill Local News Initiative report offers glimmers of hope in the increasing number of local digital news sites across the country.
Interim Executive Director Mackenzie Warren highlighted the Chicago area’s large and diverse media landscape. More than half of the outlets serve specialized niches, suggesting a shift toward topic-focused coverage. Commercially driven outlets, for example Block Club Chicago, often focus on specific neighborhoods.
Ultra-local news reporting can be a fresh oasis in a news desert, but it cannot fully replace the void left by shuttered local newspapers and radio stations.
