A new study from Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative reveals a sobering truth: while more than half of Chicago-area residents consume local news daily, only 15% are paying for it. The 2025 survey, which polled thousands of residents across the region, highlights the widening gap between strong community reliance on local journalism and the public’s limited willingness to support it financially.
“This study is another wake-up call,” said Wade Bradley, co-founder and CEO of Make it Free. “The data show what many publishers already feel in their balance sheets: audiences still want and need local journalism, but when only 15% are paying for access, your engagement and influence are capped, and your revenue streams are dangerously narrow. Without new revenue models, publishers are left choosing between shutting people out with hard paywalls or giving away their work for free — neither of which is sustainable.”
The Medill survey also found that 62% of respondents were unaware of the financial pressures local news outlets face, underscoring a disconnect between the value publishers provide and the support they receive. Bradley says that should alarm everyone in the industry. “If most of the community doesn’t even know local news is in crisis, we can’t expect them to step up and pay for it. Publishers need alternatives that allow them to build revenue without limiting access. Otherwise, we risk shrinking journalism’s critical role in civic life.”
Bradley praised Medill’s work for putting hard numbers behind what’s at stake. “This isn’t just a statistic. It’s a flashing red light foreshadowing the future of local journalism. The industry can’t keep hoping subscriptions or programmatic together will carry the load — we need to utilize innovations readily available, or we risk losing the connection with our communities.” Fortunately, many paywall providers have already engaged with Make It Free to make certain their clients have the best-of-class revenue generation opportunities available today.
About Make it Free (MIFpartners.com):
Make it Free partners with news publishers and paywall providers to monetize non-subscribing and non-registering readers (the 90%+ turned-away at the front-end of a paywall) by allowing Brands to underwrite article access while providing consumers the “free” access they desire creating a sustainable revenue generation to the front-end of hard paywalls. The company’s platform helps publishers boost audience engagement while generating new revenue, ensuring local journalism remains both accessible and financially profitable.
