Charles M. Blow Highlights the Crisis Facing Local Newspapers

Charles M. Blow, a former New York Times columnist, has raised alarms about the ongoing crisis in local journalism.

 

Since 2005, over 3,200 print newspapers have ceased operations, with an average of two closures each week.

 

According to the nonprofit Rebuild Local News, newsroom employment has plummeted by 60% since 2000—a decline comparable to the collapse of the coal industry.

 

Public radio and television, integral components of the local news ecosystem, are also under threat following a $1.1 billion funding reduction for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

 

To delve deeper into this issue, Blow collaborated with the MacArthur Foundation and Press Forward, a national coalition investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster local newsrooms.

 

Over nearly two years, he traveled across the country, engaging with policymakers, news entrepreneurs, reporters, and residents to document the crisis and produce a documentary on the subject.

 

Blow was struck by the widespread recognition of local news outlets' centrality to community life and the profound sense of loss when they disappear.

 

These outlets provide not only "big J" journalism—accountability reporting that holds power to account—but also "small j" journalism, such as wedding announcements, obituaries, profiles of valedictorians, and high school sports coverage.

 

This connective tissue of local news strengthens communities and fosters unity.

 

Even as distrust or dislike of national media persists, people often embrace their local outlets.

 

The perception of local news is shifting from a struggling industry to an essential public good.

 

These newspapers are neighbors; they strengthen neighborhoods.

 

Without them, division grows.

 

A 2019 study by Harvard University's Nieman Lab found that "the decline of local newspapers and the 'nationalization' of political news are polarizing vote choice."

 

Local news reminds us how much we have in common—that we are communities first, not partisan adversaries.

 

For more information:

 

"Reimagining Local News" (Documentary Series)

 

"Blow the Stack" with Charles M. Blow (Substack)

 

Rebuild Local News

 

Press Forward

 

MacArthur Foundation

 

Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. Editor: Jason Schmidt.