Full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

📢 Join our team! The Medill Local News Initiative is expanding the State of Local News Project and seeking a Researcher to study local news access across the Midwest. Learn more & apply: careers.northwestern.edu/psc/hrnu_er/...

Local News KILLS Partisanship & Builds Trust! Full Episode: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Axios Local's Holly Moore on Newsletters, Networks, AI and the “Whole Buffalo” Full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

For generations, the Daily Herald has been a cornerstone of suburban Chicago news. As ownership changes hands, questions remain about what this transition could mean for community coverage and the future of local news in the suburbs. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Axios Local Executive Editor Holly Moore on building a 37-market newsletter network and how AI can reshape newsroom workflows without replacing journalists. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

How we frame stories shapes what audiences see. At the Medill Solutions Journalism Summer Summit, hear from Dr. Andre Perry, Matt Kiefer, and Cheryl Dahle on moving beyond conflict and deficit framing to uncover responses, power, and community solutions. 🗓 June 26 | Register: lnkd.in/gCTh8JBe

What if your reporting could move beyond documenting harm—to rigorously covering what’s working? Join us for the Medill Solutions Journalism Summer Summit to sharpen how you frame the stories that matter most. 🗓 Friday, June 26, 2026 ⏰ 11 a.m.–5 p.m. 📌 Medill Graduate Campus, 303 E. Wacker, Chicago

Paddock Publications has shuttered at least 13 Illinois newspapers, creating five new news-desert counties across the state. The company's flagship Daily Herald is set to be acquired by Tribune Publishing later this month. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

What happens when local news disappears? Left Uncovered: Inside North Carolina’s News Deserts explores the growing local news crisis and its impact on communities, featuring data and reporting from The State of Local News Report. Watch the documentary from WRAL here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1NS...

NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss local journalism, trust, sustainability, and rebuilding civic connection. 🎙️⬇️ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

69% of surveyed Chicago-area local news consumers already support local journalism financially. 88% say they use local news to be better citizens. New research from Press Forward Chicago and Medill's Local News Accelerator: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

NPR CEO Katherine Maher discusses NPR’s storytelling secrets and why local public media remains essential civic infrastructure. Listen/Watch⬇️ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss newsroom restructuring, federal funding cuts, digital transformation, and the future of local public media. Watch the conversation below 🎙️⬇ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Since 2005, newspapers in areas with U.S. military bases have disappeared at a rate four times higher than the national average. Zachary Metzger of @localnewsini.bsky.social was recently on @cnn.com to share his research. Watch the segment here: spr.ly/63321B8DwJ5

State of Local News Project's director Zach Metzger spoke with CNN about the lack of access to local news in military communities, leaving millions with fewer reliable sources of information. Watch here: www.cnn.com/2026/05/20/u...

The fight to save the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette raises a bigger question: what does it actually mean to save local news? New reporting from the Local News Initiative explores the future of legacy newspapers and civic information. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Join the Northwestern Local News Initiative and the Maynard Institute on June 4–5 in Chicago for a FREE leadership training for early- and mid-career editors and managers. Gain practical tools, coaching and mentoring for newsroom and career development. Register by May 26: mije.org/programs/for...

Listen to the full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Want your local government to actually listen? @WGLTNews – Bloomington-Normal's Public Media is reporting on what works — and what doesn't — when citizens show up to advocate for change. Tune in the week of May 11. #HealingIllinois #DemocracyLivesHere

Your ballot could be thrown out — not because you did anything wrong but because of a postal rule change you’ve probably never heard of. Chicago News Weekly is exposing what’s at stake and who’s fighting back. Don’t miss this. #HealingIllinois #DemocracyLivesHere

What does it actually take to run an election? Capitol News Illinois is reporting on Illinois county clerks — their evolving roles, their challenges and the practices that strengthen faith in electoral processes. Coming May 11. Stay tuned. #HealingIllinois

Democracy Lives Here. Launching May 11: five IL newsrooms reporting on what's working to strengthen democracy across the state. Supported by @FieldFoundation, IDHS, and @MedillSchool. Stay tuned. #HealingIllinois

What does craft beer have to do with local news? More than you think. 🍻 On the latest episode of the State of Local News Podcast, Chuck Todd explains why people crave unique, local journalism again. Read/Listen: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

As local newsrooms shrink, coverage of U.S. military bases is disappearing—leaving millions with fewer reliable sources of information. Read new research by Medill State of Local News Project's director Zach Metzger here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Listen to the full podcast on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0IXW...

News deserts are becoming data centers, and the watchdogs are already gone. Read here: www.cjr.org/feature/ai-d...

Thrilled to be featured in @ronanfarrow.bsky.social's Instagram:

We are collecting nominations for Local News ‘Bright Spots’ to feature in our 2026 State of Local News Report! Send us your nominations! localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

How did The New York Times grow to nearly 13M digital subscribers? Tim Franklin speaks with Ben Cotton about subscriptions, product strategy, and what local newsrooms can learn. Watch/listen 👇 localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

New report finds nonprofit news outlets need to develop robust revenue outside philanthropy to succeed long term: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

keen to see my @localnewsini.bsky.social colleagues covering the @journalismdesign.bsky.social program, acknowledging the importance of “informal news networks” localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

🎙️We’re launching the State of Local News Podcast! AI. Trust. The future of journalism. In Ep. 01, Tim Franklin talks with Steve Grove of @startribune.com about what’s next for local news. Watch/listen: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

New research shows AI often uses news content without attribution, accelerating the crisis in local journalism. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Google isn’t the only place people search anymore. About 49% of U.S. consumers say they’ve used TikTok as a search engine, according to an Adobe survey. www.socialmediatoday.com/news/almost-...

With federal action stalled, more states are moving ahead to save local news. New Mexico could become the latest to adopt tax credits supporting newsroom jobs and sustaining local journalism. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

At the Minnesota Star Tribune, an investment decades in the making takes shape: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

News publishers are continuing to expand their subscription businesses despite broad traffic erosion tied to search shifts and AI-driven discovery changes. Read the full article on Digiday here: digiday.com/media/in-gra...

A deep dive into the Windy City’s innovative and expansive media landscape: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

In local news deserts, 51% residents rely heavily on social media and influencers to stay informed. Read Medill LNI's comprehensive survey on news deserts across the USA: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Where do people in news deserts get local news from? Often, not from newsrooms. A new Medill survey finds residents rely heavily on social media, influencers, and gossip — alongside interviews with people living the reality. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Alden Global Capital, the private equity fund that owns the Chicago Tribune and more than 160 other newspapers across the United States, wants to add the Daily Herald to its portfolio. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

On Carpenter, consolidation and censorship: www.cjr.org/feature/carp...

The Northern Light, a weekly newspaper serving more than 10,000 households in Washington’s Whatcom County, was saved by a remarkably generous gift over the holidays. By @brierdudley.bsky.social: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

To close out another successful year at Medill, the Local News Initiative hosted its annual Chicago Local News Summit in Dec 2025, providing local industry leaders with a day of relevant and robust knowledge to empower news organizations across the city.