Spectrum

While 60 percent of Americans have more trust in local news than national news, local media are disappearing at an alarming rate. We are losing an average of two newspapers per week and by 2025, we will have lost nearly one-third of our local newspapers nationwide, according to a 2022 study done by Northwestern University. Currently about 20 percent of the nation lives in a news desert with little to no access to local news. Will anything replace the dying newspaper population? Local and regional non-profit news organizations are springing up across the country as an alternative. There are various business models for these non-profits depending on the region they serve. Leadership for these new publications is coming from various directions. Some leaders have had long careers in journalism, and some are early in their journalism careers. Regardless of the experience level, many journalists are seeing the revival of hyperlocal news media to be critical to the survival of our democracy. Andy Alexander is