There has been no shortage of concern lately about the state of local news.
In books, research, and policy briefs, a number of key questions have emerged: Are people’s vital information needs being met at a time when news media in some communities are closing and others are retrenching? What are the impacts of “news deserts,” where people have little access to trusted sources of local information, and how are such gaps manifest in urban as well as rural places? How can we really know whether journalism, the kind believed to be essential to healthy communities and democratic well-being, is broadly available to the people who need it most?
