The @localnewsini.bsky.social @medillschool.bsky.social posted today a new interactive map of areas at high risk of becoming news deserts. It's based on a predictive model developed by Medill data scientists and the Local News Initiative team. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/sta...

Florida billionaire David Hoffman aims to be largest local newspaper publisher in America, reports @brierdudley.bsky.social of the @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social. He's making a play to buy Lee and snapping up shares of The Dallas MN. Could McClatchy be a target? www.seattletimes.com/opinion/flor...

#ijf25 @journalismfestival.com #Perugia Tim Franklin (Medill, Northwestern University) on Future of Local News panel describes the vital role that universities have in "stepping up to provide journalism for low information communities." @medillschool.bsky.social @timafranklin.bsky.social

I enjoyed joining @rebeccasnyder.bsky.social, director of the Maryland Delaware DC Press Association, for a wide-ranging podcast discussion of expanding local news deserts, rapidly changing media ownership and innovations that are showing promise in local journalism. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRBM...

Experts warn that Mark Zuckerberg's decision to eliminate fact-checking will be a double whammy for residents in the nation's widening number of local news deserts, reports the @localnewsini.bsky.social @medillschool.bsky.social. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

The @localnewsini.bsky.social released its full State of Local News Report this morning. It shows the grinding losses of local newspapers and the growing number of counties at high-risk of losing local news. It also chronicles a net gain of more than 105 digital-only local news sites in 2024.

The crisis in local news goes deeper than news deserts. There's a growing problem of "ghost newspapers." @localnewsini.bsky.social @medillschool.bsky.social's @markcaro.bsky.social traveled to Massachusetts where there's a region haunted by ghosts localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2024/1...

Political commentator @chriscillizza.bsky.social highlighted the @localnewsini.bsky.social new study on presidential election results in news deserts. chriscillizza.substack.com/p/chris-cruc.... He said the Medill study included "the two most amazing paragraphs I have read about the election.

New: Trump won the popular vote narrowly. But in news deserts—counties where there are no local news sources or reporters —he won in a landslide. Latest by me and @volk_maps for Medill School’s Local News Initiative. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2024/1...

Researchers @medillschool.bsky.social @localnewsini.bsky.social have found that while Trump won the popular vote by only 1.5%, he won local news desert counties in a landslide. Why? We talked talked to experts like @stevenwaldman.bsky.social. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2024/1...

New research from the @medillschool.bsky.social @localnewsini.bsky.social shows that Donald Trump won 91% of local news desert counties by an average margin of 54%. What does this mean? We talked to experts like @stevenwaldman.bsky.social. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2024/1...