The Facts About Local News

Furthermore, the exponential rise of social media and digital marketing in the last 20 years has significantly lured away both paid subscribers and print advertising dollars from local newsrooms. 

Since 2005, newspaper ad revenue has dropped by a staggering 80%. For comparison, Google’s ad revenue has skyrocketed from $6.1 billion in 2005 to $237 billion in 2023 – marking a 3,800% increase. Meta also saw substantial advertising growth, from $764 million in 2009 to $131.9 billion in 2023. 

Because advertising income has traditionally accounted for 80% of a newspaper’s budget, this profound consumer funding shift has been catastrophic to many newsrooms. The significant decline in revenue has caused many publications to reduce the number of issues printed each week, cut staff or fold operations altogether.

Local journalism plays a crucial role in supporting the informational infrastructure that rural economies need to thrive. But many small, for-profit newsrooms operate more like public service institutions than traditional businesses, struggling to survive despite providing essential news coverage.