There is little debate that the news industry in this country is going through a period of tectonic upheaval. Layoffs in the media landscape are a regular news item, with many outlets under pressure either closing, or eliminating hard copy issues, and many local papers are scaling back from daily editions.
The pandemic was certainly a contributing factor, as more than 350 papers ceased operation between 2020 and 2022, but due to advertising being choked off, social media blockages, and search engine limitations, there is a growing tide of failures.
The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University issued its “State of Local News” report late last year, and that study estimates that of the papers that were operating in 2005, one-quarter to one-third of those will be gone by the end of this year. In the face of this reality, there is a proposal made in the Senate to…
