Since 2005, the Medill 2023 report on the State of Local News shows, more than one third of all local newspapers in the United States have closed.
The loss of local news is a threat to democracy; as Serge Schmemann notes in The New York Times:
They were the building blocks of community, democracy, politics. Their loss is a major reason behind the acute polarization and political confusion we are suffering today. “In the past decade, a broad perception has formed that local news is in a serious crisis,” write Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy, both veteran journalists, in their new book, “What Works in Community News: Media Start-Ups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate,” which explores ways in which various communities are trying to fill the vacuum.
The good news, the report finds, is that the nonprofit model 48hills represents is a rare bright spot, a way to keep local news alive. On this Giving Tuesday, would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help 48hills grow?
You can donate here, or send a check to San Francisco Progressive Media Center, 176 Winfield Street, SF CA 94110. (PS people who agree to make monthly donations are particularly helpful, because that allows us to better budget for our expansion!)
