Local news has been one of the hardest-hit sectors of the journalism industry in recent years. Circulation and advertising revenue have plummeted, thousands of newspapers have closed, and private equity has slashed staff and other costs at many others that remain.
But, despite these challenges, Americans are still generally positive about their local news sources and the job they do. More than three-quarters of Americans say their local media do a good or excellent job of reporting the news. And, while there are some political differences in views of the role local news should play – with Republicans and Republican-leaning independents less likely than Democrats to say they want local news outlets to engage in advocacy – opinions of local media overall do not vary by party.
Americans also feel that local news does a good job of keeping them informed and providing information they need to fulfill important civic duties. They also say that local news does the best job of amplifying positive stories about their community and holding local officials, businesses and other institutions accountable. However, when it comes to fulfilling civic duty and addressing specific political issues directly, Americans turn to local news much less frequently than they do to social media and personal networks for this type of information.
In 2022, for example, when the state of Florida was considering changing its school curricula, it was Hagerty High School’s student newspaper that was able to explain how these changes would impact Seminole County schools and what the local consequences might be.