California has lost 40% of its newspapers since 2005 and ranks among the 10 worst states for local journalists per capita. With federal cuts to public media, @mattdpearce.com testified on why state action is vital to keep communities informed. Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...

“AI-written stories are quietly becoming a staple of local news. The implications go far beyond convenience.” via @fastcompany.com: www.fastcompany.com/91433534/ai-...

A new @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report surveying 24 countries finds people in the US, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Kenya are tuning into news creators over mainstream media, highlighting a shift in how audiences follow the news. Learn more: www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/news...

The closer the source, the stronger the trust. 70 percent of Americans say they trust local news compared to just 56 percent for national news. via @pewresearch.org Learn more: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

When @stevenwaldman.bsky.social asked ChatGPT about the impact of the local news crisis, it confessed: AI can’t give trustworthy local info without journalists. The solution? AI companies should invest in community news itself. Via @techpolicypress.bsky.social: www.techpolicy.press/how-to-solve...

The State of Local News 2025 from @localnewsini.bsky.social finds that promising developments are being swamped by deeper negative trends. We’re losing the race against time for local news. Read an analysis by @stevenwaldman.bsky.social: www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/were...

A new documentary series, Reimagining Local News, from Press Forward and the MacArthur Foundation with host @CharlesMBlow.bsky.social, looks beyond the headlines of decline to reveal something powerful: communities creating a new future for local news. Watch Now: reimagininglocalnews.com

The State of Local News 2025 report by @localnewsini.bsky.social is out, drawing on two decades of data -- and the findings are stark. News deserts hit a record high, leaving 50M Americans with limited or no access to local coverage. Learn more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/sta...

New Mexico is stepping up for its communities' access to trusted local news and information: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved $5.6M in emergency funding for the state’s 12 public media organizations, plus $430K for Indigenous stations. Read more: current.org/2025/10/new-...

US Postal Service delays are leaving weekly newspapers up to nine weeks late. Subscribers miss critical news, and small papers face serious financial strain. via @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/analysis/pos...

Tulsa’s local news ecosystem recently lost 7 reporters, but it’s more than jobs. Local news is a bridge, turning neighbors into a community. Without those who produce local news, community identity fades. But, we can still turn this around. Learn more: thepickup.com/tulsa-doesnt...

Two years ago, Press Forward set a $500M goal to strengthen local news. With $400M now invested, funders across the nation are showing they understand what communities stand to lose without reliable, trustworthy sources of local news. More here: www.pressforward.news/two-years-in...

Weekend Read: A look at how local TV reporters across the country are breaking major stories and holding powerful figures accountable, reminding us why local news matters. Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...

Publishers across Canada are urging the federal government to dedicate at least 25% of its ad budget to Canadian news outlets to help sustain local news nationwide. Learn more: www.communitywire.ca/2025/10/08/p...

Can revitalizing community news help heal divisions in Utah? Our founder Steven Waldman thinks Gov. Spencer Cox can lead the way, proposing a “mitigation fee” on Big Tech to fund both teen mental health and local news in the state. Read more: www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...

Are you a skilled communicator and organizer ready to revitalize local news in Pennsylvania? We’re hiring a State Campaign Manager to help advance nonpartisan policies to strengthen community news and information. Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/careers/care...

The Ann Arbor District Library is stepping up to preserve local news. It announced plans to acquire the Ann Arbor Observer, a publication serving residents since 1976, to ensure continued public access to vital community information. Learn more: aadl.org/node/647334

We're thrilled to introduce Matthew Baker as our first director of research! He previously served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development, managing research projects to strengthen independent media worldwide. Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/team/matthew...

Where do Americans go for news online? Half of U.S. adults (53%) say they get news from social media at least sometimes. Most check Facebook (38%) and YouTube (35%), while Instagram (20%), TikTok (20%) and X/Twitter (12%) come next. via @pewresearch.org: www.pewresearch.org/journalism/f...

A Kentucky company bought eight Illinois newspapers, bypassing a new law requiring a 120-day sales notice intended to keep ownership local. Our Director of Policy @mattdpearce.com poses, “How do you remedy the damage here?” Learn more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

Nobel laureates Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz and Prof. Daron Acemoğlu issued an urgent plea to recognize and uphold the economic value of public interest media in the age of artificial intelligence. Learn more: informationdemocracy.org/2025/09/22/p...

Join us in supporting local news across the country and building stronger communities! Our open positions include People & Operations Manager, Deputy Campaigns Director, and Development Manager. Apply now: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/careers/

Last week’s must-read: Politically funded “pink slime” outlets are alive and growing, shaping news from national headlines down to local college campuses. Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/analysis/pin...

"Political conservatives, of whom I am one, should not be averse to philanthropic funding for local public media... Without these outlets, the actions of both Republican and Democratic politicians wouldn’t get the attention and scrutiny the public deserves." Read more: www.aei.org/op-eds/a-res...

CA lawmakers have introduced the California Civic Media Program to support local news, but full discretionary grantmaking authority lies in the executive branch. Read the analysis from @mattdpearce.com: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/analysis-california-lawmakers-propose-20m-google-grant-partnership/

We’re hiring a People & Operations Manager! 🗣️ Join Rebuild Local News and help shape the systems, culture, and support that power our team’s mission to revitalize local news. Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/careers-peop...

Some U.S. publishers are striking AI licensing deals, but journalists aren’t seeing a share. In France, they do. via @niemanlab.org: www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...

Let's rebuild local news! ✊🏼

Thrilled to be a part of this crucial work! 🫡

We’re thrilled to welcome the @nwu.org to the Rebuild Local News Coalition! With over 1,000 writers, including 500 freelance journalists, NWU and its @fspnwu.bsky.social fight for fair pay, better contracts, and more opportunities for writers.

Local news is disappearing, and it’s not just empty newsrooms. It means fewer voters splitting tickets, less civic engagement, and weaker accountability for elected officials. Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

"Eighty-three percent of the country doesn’t have a single media subscription. Readership assistance programs can help them." Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/opinion/news...

"What if the best way to help the media is not with carefully sculpted grants provided to worthy programs by a panel of wise people, but rather big, messy, blunt-instrument policies that push far more dollars into the system [and] lift all boats...?"

What Will the Next Era of Public Media Look Like? by Steven Waldman. www.cjr.org/analysis/wha...

After the demise of CPB, Rebuild Local News Founder @stevenwaldman.bsky.social says the industry has an opportunity to build more creative models for public support. Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/analysis/wha...

A group of funders has committed nearly $27M, aiming for $50M this year, to the Public Media Bridge Fund to keep at-risk rural TV and radio stations alive. Many of which are the only local news in their communities. Read more at @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/b...

Weekend Read: New research finds that when voters have greater access to local news, they are less influenced by party loyalty in judging election integrity and more influenced by how elections are actually run. Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379425000769?via%3Dihub#sec7

The Department of Justice can use the ad tech monopoly remedies process to push Google to give back some of the revenue it has stolen from struggling newsrooms. We partnered with @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social and @publicknowledge.bsky.social to ask them to do just that.

The Illinois journalism employment credits are a "critical boost," already making a difference. The Hinsdalean will get $45K in credits, nearly a month’s revenue, and will put some funds toward overdue hardware and software, helping sustain its newsroom. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/illi...

Google’s ad tech monopoly has stripped local newsrooms of vital ad revenue, forcing scaled-back coverage or closures. The result: communities lose watchdog reporting, government coverage and civic engagement. The DOJ must impose stronger remedies. Read more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/letter-to-th...

Illinois is investing $4 million through journalist employment tax credits to 120 news outlets, supporting the retention and hiring of journalists. This new policy, crafted with help from Rebuild Local News, will strengthen coverage statewide. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...

"Journalism done well is uniquely capable of discussing local affairs with the depth and nuance they demand. By working with local news instead of against it, local leaders can empower a vital institution with the legitimacy it desperately needs." Read more: www.governing.com/management-a...

College professors can help plug local news gaps by launching state‑based media newsletters. A handful of higher‑ed pros are already tracking and analyzing their media landscapes. Learn more about these efforts via @niemanlab.org: www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/i-te...

Our recently published Local Journalist Index with @muckrack.com tracks the number of local journalists across the country. Now, Rebuild Local News President @stevenwaldman.bsky.social asks: how many local journalists does a community need to be truly informed? www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

Since 2002, local reporting capacity has dropped about 75%, from about 40 journalists to just 8.2 Local Journalist Equivalents per 100K residents. The Local Journalist Index shows where journalist capacity stands, down to the county level. Learn more: localjournalistindex.com

Big news: Press Forward awarded $1.25M to help launch low-interest loans to BIPOC-led news outlets via the Media Resilience Fund, run by @justeconomy.bsky.social and @url-media.bsky.social.‪‪ We’re proud to have played a role helping spark this effort. Learn more: www.youtube.com/shorts/LAh9f...

Join the team: We are seeking our first Director of Research, a strategic leader to shape and drive our research agenda. This role will fuel public policy solutions, strengthen advocacy, and deepen public understanding of the local news crisis. Apply now: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/careers/care...

The lack of local journalism is part of what is causing America's crisis of disconnection. When you can't learn about your neighbors, it's harder to build the commitment the community and mutual obligation that breeds purpose and identity.

The report from @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social and @muckrack.com finds that more than 1,000 counties — one out of three in the nation — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist.

Have you explored the Local Journalist Index yet? Rebuild Local News President @stevenwaldman.bsky.social shares how its data on the journalist shortage can help entrepreneurs, funders and policymakers take targeted action to support local news. Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/severe-and-w...