The sale of eight Illinois newspapers to out-of-state Paxton Media raises questions after publishers reportedly skipped the 120-day notice required by the new state law meant to keep ownership local. Read more here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

In a new survey commissioned by the @localnewsini.bsky.social, findings show the changing ways in which people’s news behaviors are evolving. Plus, they provide both dire warning signals for the news industry, and reasons for optimism. Read more: spr.ly/63325AKu7c

The @localnewsini.bsky.social is a finalist for a Chicago Innovation Award! 🎉 It recognizes innovative new products, services, and organizations in the Chicago region, celebrating breakthroughs that improve lives. Vote here for the "People's Choice" Award: spr.ly/63321Ap2O7

From audience strategy to AI training, Medill’s new Shared Services Hub is partnering with Chicago news outlets to strengthen local journalism and sustain reliable coverage. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Just released: The 2025 Chicago-Area News Consumption Survey from Medill and the University of Chicago. How residents get their local news is shifting fast — from smartphones leading the way to content creators rivaling newspapers. Full report: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

"Without being too preachy, “The Paper” captures the relentless cost-cutting of corporate newspaper owners, the loss of institutional knowledge in newsrooms and the idealism of those still pursuing a journalism career." Brier Dudley for LNI: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

When local news disappears, secrecy thrives. A new study finds that government secrecy grows strongest in states hardest hit by the local news crisis. Full story: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Skamania County, WA, has one local paper left—no online edition, few staff, and just six pages. Is this survival or the spread of news deserts? localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Illinois is backing its local news: $4M in tax credits awarded to help 40 news organizations (operating 120 outlets) keep reporters on staff. Check out our interactive map to see who received the tax credits. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

“I know what we’re doing is certainly, not just atypical but outlandish in the minds of some.” Stephen Crane reflects on launching a weekly print newspaper in a digital era and why print might be having its moment again in community news: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

“They grew a little too quickly before having in place the infrastructure they needed.” A closer look at how the National Trust hits reset after rapid expansion: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

“National news won’t earn back trust until local news is rebuilt.” Chuck Todd joins Michigan Press Leaders to talk collaboration, community, and the future of local journalism. Read the full story: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

New report from Rebuild Local News & Muck Rack reveals the depth of the local news crisis: 📉 More than 1 in 3 U.S. counties lack even one full-time journalist 🏙️ Even major urban counties are severely understaffed Read here: 🔗 localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

From trivia nights and block parties to festivals and awards, publishers are hosting events to deepen community trust, boost engagement & open new revenue streams. Dive into the full story 👇 localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

A local government agency just bought The Tuskegee News to keep it alive. Is this unusual arrangement the beginning of a trend, or a one-off? Read more about Alabama’s newspaper rescue: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

An Oregon bill viewed as a national model for tech platforms to compensate local news outlets has failed. The Medill Local News Initiative posted this story from The Seattle Times columnist Brier Dudley on the Oregon setback. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

When local newspapers disappear, corruption thrives. A must-read from @CJR 🔗 www.cjr.org/analysis/loc...

Are local news organizations benefiting from or getting crushed by artificial intelligence? In our latest Q&A, journalism professor Tom Rosenstiel chats with Mark Caro about the future of local news in the age of generative AI. 🔗 localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

🧭 Shifting Sandboxes explores how legacy local outlets like The Lansing Journal and Daily Herald are tapping into YouTube & Facebook to reach new audiences and revenue. When local news adapts, sustainability follows. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0... #LocalNews #MediaInnovation

Ready to transform conflict into constructive change? Join us in Chicago on June 27 for the free Medill Midwest Solutions Journalism Summer Summit — a full day of panels, networking & reporting inspiration.

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation has awarded a $3.6 million, three-year grant to the @localnewsini.bsky.social at Northwestern to expand the University’s work to strengthen local news and scholastic journalism in Illinois. Read more: http://spr.ly/633234GAah

Visa pause could stop flow of international journalism students to U.S. Angela Fu of ‪@poynterinstitute.bsky.social‬ reports. www.poynter.org/educators-st...

In a conversation with @markcaro.bsky.social of the @localnewsini.bsky.social, Jeremy Gulban of CherryRoad Media talks about his struggles in building a profitable chain of community newspapers.

In this especially candid, insightful conversation, CherryRoad Media CEO Jeremy Gulban details the challenges facing his fast-growing newspaper chain and the greater local news industry. @medillschool.bsky.social localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

The new @medillschool.bsky.social LNI Local News Ecosystem Barometer uses a predictive model to track 249 U.S. counties on the Watchlist at risk of becoming news deserts. Explore here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/sta...

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...

The @medillschool.bsky.social Local News Initiative has debuted a new interactive tool that highlights 249 counties at high risk for losing their local news. Click here to explore the Local News Barometer and Watch List: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/sta...

Oregon, Washington State, Illinois, Hawaii and New York all have proposed legislation this year to recoup money from Big Tech platforms, mainly Google and Meta, for revenue gained from publishing local news content. Hannah Carroll's LNI report... localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

As TikTok follows X and Meta into a "community notes"-style form of fact-checking, @poynterinstitute.bsky.social's @itsren.bsky.social talks with @alexmahadevan.com about what could go right or wrong. www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

The nonprofit digital Houston Landing launched in June 2023 "with more than $20 million in funding and aimed to provide accountability reporting and storytelling that reflected Houston’s diversity." It announced today it's shutting down. @poynterinstitute.bsky.social www.poynter.org/business-wor...

My in-depth story for the Medill Local News Initiative about student reporters filling local news gaps. Enjoy...

Local papers used to boost college students, but now it's the other way around, as undergraduate reporters fill news gaps in communities lacking robust coverage. Here's our in-depth look at the expanding movement of news-academic partnerships. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Do you know of a local news outlet building an innovative, sustainable business model while providing much-needed coverage? @medillschool.bsky.social is now accepting nominations for Bright Spots to include in its 2025 State of Local News report. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

"The Mercury News would become widely regarded as the first newspaper to put its entire content online, initially for free. The decision established a lasting expectation that online news should be free....It is a crisis without end." @poynterinstitute.bsky.social www.poynter.org/business-wor...

Philadelphia @inquirer.com launched its 6-person community news & engagement desk abt 3 years ago "to better serve traditionally underserved communities," Rick Edmonds of @poynterinstitute.bsky.social writes. "It operated independently of the newsroom." Now it's gone. www.poynter.org/commentary/a...

"The decision to measure success by impact — not clicks, pageviews, ad sales, subscriptions or any other metric — is @propublica's other major contribution to nonprofit journalism." @angelanfu.bsky.social reports for @poynterinstitute.bsky.social. www.poynter.org/business-wor...

Canada provides an estimated 80 percent of the paper used by US newspapers, so on-again, off-again tariffs are causing chaos and could have a severe impact on an already struggling industry, @columjournreview.bsky.social reports. www.cjr.org/analysis/tar...

After one year of publication, the Belmont Voice has revived community news in its Boston suburb. Editor & Publisher reports... www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/from...

National journalists go local as Midcoast Villager combines legacy papers to boost region’s news. "We did it to save our local communities’ newspapers." via @localnewsini.bsky.social localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

National journalists go local as Maine's Midcoast Villager rolls up four legacy papers while trying to expand coverage, boost reader interaction in the region. Our story... @aseitzwald.bsky.social localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Unglamorous daily stories "are yesterday’s news and tomorrow’s distant memory. They also represent a stubborn dedication to truthfulness and accountability. Without them, local news is in peril." @poynterinstitute.bsky.social www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

How are journalists actually using AI? @robtornoe.bsky.social offers answers in Editor and Publisher. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/ai-i...

The Long Island Herald warns that local news could be a casualty of U.S. tariffs on Canada. "If newsprint becomes subject to tariffs on Canadian imports, we would not be surprised to see over 30 percent of U.S. newspapers go out of business within a year...." www.liherald.com/stories/new-...

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...

Will Meta's elimination of fact-checking have a pronounced impact on news deserts and other communities that rely on social media for local news? Our report: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

"2024: A year of alarming loss in local printed editions and newsroom jobs. Hope lies in digital news outlets." The complete pdf of the @medillschool.bsky.social State of Local News Report is now available: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/assets/slnp/...

Fired for talking to a @poynterinstitute.bsky.social columnist , former Gannett editor @onnleach.bsky.social launches western Michigan nonprofit local news site @ottawanewsnetwork.bsky.social. www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

The @localnewsini.bsky.social released its full State of Local News 2024 report in PDF form—and the findings are stark: over 33% of newspapers folded in the last 20 years, 206 counties are without local news, and 7,000 newspaper jobs vanished in 2023. Rebuilding local news is more urgent than ever.