At a time when many are retrenching, The Post and Courier Publisher P.J. Browning is expanding, adding nine newsrooms in South Carolina, creating collaborations with local news outlets on investigative projects & launching a robust events series. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Charleston CEO P.J. Browning is Investing and Growing the Post & Courier While Many Other Local News Outlets Retrench
In the seventh episode of the State of Local News Podcast, host Tim Franklin—Professor, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News, and founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative—speaks with P.J. Bro...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
Can Reddit become a new audience pathway for local news? A new report from the Medill looks at how newsrooms like The Dallas Morning News and KQED are using Reddit to reach communities, engage readers, and discover story ideas. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Is this Reddit’s moment for local news?
Last October, the Big 12 conference issued a rule change that only really makes sense if you watch Big 12 football: Fans at Texas Tech’s Jones AT&T Stadium were no longer allowed to throw tortilla...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
New from @lionpubs.bsky.social: the Sustainability Audit Dashboard provides an interactive look at data from nearly 450 independent local news organizations, offering new insights into the business health of the sector. lionpublishers.com/audit-dashbo...
New Pew/Knight findings show that local news is more trusted than national news and social media across all segments of Americans. But the less civically engaged you are, the less you trust any news source. Read the report: www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
Illinois' journalism tax credits are already helping sustain local news. A new report examines the program's first year, what worked, and what other states can learn from it. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
A Cross Section of Illinois News Entities Get $4.3 Million from State
Fifty-five Illinois local news organizations operating 130 outlets have received $4.3 million in state tax credits so far this year under a law designed to encourage the retention and hiring of journa...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
"AI is the next hill to climb." Jim Friedlich, CEO of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, joins Tim Franklin to discuss AI, nonprofit news, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and building sustainable local journalism. Watch/listen to the full episode: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Lenfest Institute CEO Jim Friedlich on What’s Working in Local News: Beneficial Ownership Combined with Strong User Revenues
In the sixth episode of the State of Local News Podcast, host Tim Franklin—Professor, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News, and founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative—speaks with Jim Friedl...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
Direct communication creates real relationships. Full Episode: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
📢 Join our team! The Medill Local News Initiative is expanding the State of Local News Project and seeking a Researcher to study local news access across the Midwest. Learn more & apply: careers.northwestern.edu/psc/hrnu_er/...
Local News KILLS Partisanship & Builds Trust! Full Episode: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Axios Local's Holly Moore on Newsletters, Networks, AI and the “Whole Buffalo” Full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
For generations, the Daily Herald has been a cornerstone of suburban Chicago news. As ownership changes hands, questions remain about what this transition could mean for community coverage and the future of local news in the suburbs. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Struggling in the Suburbs
Few suburban newspapers have existed as long as the Daily Herald, founded as the Cook County Herald just seven years after the end of the Civil War.
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
Axios Local Executive Editor Holly Moore on building a 37-market newsletter network and how AI can reshape newsroom workflows without replacing journalists. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
How we frame stories shapes what audiences see. At the Medill Solutions Journalism Summer Summit, hear from Dr. Andre Perry, Matt Kiefer, and Cheryl Dahle on moving beyond conflict and deficit framing to uncover responses, power, and community solutions. 🗓 June 26 | Register: lnkd.in/gCTh8JBe
What if your reporting could move beyond documenting harm—to rigorously covering what’s working? Join us for the Medill Solutions Journalism Summer Summit to sharpen how you frame the stories that matter most. 🗓 Friday, June 26, 2026 ⏰ 11 a.m.–5 p.m. 📌 Medill Graduate Campus, 303 E. Wacker, Chicago
Paddock Publications has shuttered at least 13 Illinois newspapers, creating five new news-desert counties across the state. The company's flagship Daily Herald is set to be acquired by Tribune Publishing later this month. Read more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Paddock closes at least 13 Illinois newspapers, adding five new news deserts
With little advance notice or explanation, Paddock Publications has ceased publishing at least 13 of its 20 newspapers in Illinois this month.
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
What happens when local news disappears? Left Uncovered: Inside North Carolina’s News Deserts explores the growing local news crisis and its impact on communities, featuring data and reporting from The State of Local News Report. Watch the documentary from WRAL here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1NS...
Left Uncovered: What North Carolina communities lose when local newsrooms shrink
YouTube video by WRAL
youtube.com
NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss local journalism, trust, sustainability, and rebuilding civic connection. 🎙️⬇️ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
69% of surveyed Chicago-area local news consumers already support local journalism financially. 88% say they use local news to be better citizens. New research from Press Forward Chicago and Medill's Local News Accelerator: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Insights on Chicago’s Local Media Consumers
This text was adapted from our report on Chicago’s Local Media Consumers. Download a full PDF version of the report.
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
NPR CEO Katherine Maher discusses NPR’s storytelling secrets and why local public media remains essential civic infrastructure. Listen/Watch⬇️ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss newsroom restructuring, federal funding cuts, digital transformation, and the future of local public media. Watch the conversation below 🎙️⬇ localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
NPR CEO Katherine Maher Discusses Recent Restructuring and Adapting to Federal Defunding
In the fourth episode of the State of Local News Podcast, host Tim Franklin—Professor, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News, and founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative—speaks with Katherine...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
Since 2005, newspapers in areas with U.S. military bases have disappeared at a rate four times higher than the national average. Zachary Metzger of @localnewsini.bsky.social was recently on @cnn.com to share his research. Watch the segment here: spr.ly/63321B8DwJ5
State of Local News Project's director Zach Metzger spoke with CNN about the lack of access to local news in military communities, leaving millions with fewer reliable sources of information. Watch here: www.cnn.com/2026/05/20/u...
Home Front: Study shows many military communities becoming ‘news deserts’ | CNN
CNN’s Brianna Keilar speaks with Thomas Brennan from the nonprofit newsroom The War Horse and Zach Metzger from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. They discuss the implications of their study...
cnn.com
The fight to save the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette raises a bigger question: what does it actually mean to save local news? New reporting from the Local News Initiative explores the future of legacy newspapers and civic information. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...
Saving Legacy Newspapers
Stewart Bainum Jr. just committed $30 million over five years to prevent the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from shutting down.
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
Join the Northwestern Local News Initiative and the Maynard Institute on June 4–5 in Chicago for a FREE leadership training for early- and mid-career editors and managers. Gain practical tools, coaching and mentoring for newsroom and career development. Register by May 26: mije.org/programs/for...
