Oddbean

As 'news deserts' spread, US journalism fights on ========== Baltimore Banner reporter Matti Gellman and her colleagues are at the vanguard of a fightback, seeking new and innovative ways to sustain local journalism in the United States. The news industry in the US has been in crisis for over two decades, with local news being most affected. According to a study by Northwestern University, there are 204 counties in the US that are considered 'news deserts,' lacking newspapers, local digital sites, public radio newsrooms, or ethnic publications. The state of the industry is described as 'perilous,' with more than a third of newspapers and almost two-thirds of newspaper journalists being lost since 2005. The impact of the decline in local news has led to a nationalization of news and a polarization of local and national politics. Non-profit organizations like the Baltimore Banner are seeking to fill the void left by the decline of local news, and there are green shoots of hope with initiatives like tax credits for local news organizations and rural readers still willing to pay for news products. The future of sustaining local journalism depends on funding and innovation in the industry. #Journalism #NewsDeserts #LocalNews #MediaIndustry #BaltimoreBanner https://www.legit.ng/business-economy/technology/1589443-as-news-deserts-spread-journalism-fights-on/