Latest news with #LocalJournalistIndex2025
Axios
7 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
How many journalists cover Philly
Whenever I think about reporting, two edicts come to mind: Journalism is a daily crisis memorialized, and it's about doing the best for the most. That's a mashup of what one of my Daily Lobo colleagues told me early on in my career, and I've carried it with me as a guiding star. Why it matters: There are fewer reporters across the country doing the best for the most. And that makes every day we continue to churn out newspapers, newsletters, Substacks, whatever your medium, even more of a daily crisis memorialized. Driving the news: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. The big picture: About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per the index, an ambitious project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting." To crib Biggie: Less journalism, more problems. You can draw a pretty strong line between the lack of local reporting and our country's biggest problems: more polarization, less civic engagement, and not enough fact-driven gatekeepers to watchdog corruptible public officials and help us sift through the absolute tsunami of information we have available at the click of a mouse. Threat level: Americans could once dutifully rely on the Big Three — ABC, NBC and CBS — to set the agenda on what was important. Now with the saturation of social media, it's turning into Big Me — opinion makers and slant artists delivering hot takes for clicks rather than community good. Yes, but: Philly's lucky that we're bucking the trend. We have about 13 journalists per every 100,000 people, or about 201 total. And our collar counties — Bucks (6.5), Montgomery (8.2) and Delaware (7.9) — are toughing it out. The latest: It doesn't help when local public media outlets like WHYY must scrap to plug holes after Congress clawed back $1.1 billion in federal funding. State of play: Sometimes the absence of sunlight makes you realize how much you miss those muckrakers doing the disinfecting. Our scrappy team at Axios Philly does our best to bring you the most. Sometimes that's being a check on the local media ecosystem, while feeding you a steady diet of the biggest news in our region — from the garbage strike to the inner workings of the Parker administration to SEPTA's existential crisis. Mom and Dad always said you have to eat your vegetables (that's those stories you need to be a healthy, engaged citizen), but we also can't go without a little dessert and a brewski or two to make it all go down.
Axios
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How local journalism is faring in Tampa Bay — and how to help
I'm about a month away from my 10-year anniversary as a professional journalist, reporting on Florida and Tampa Bay from local newsrooms and my home office here in St. Petersburg. It feels weird to acknowledge the milestone this early. I don't want to jinx a career that's already on borrowed time. Why it matters: New data puts in stark terms what I've watched with increasing dread over the years: a collapse in local news so dramatic it feels like a miracle that I'm still here. Stunning stat: The U.S. has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" per 100,000 people — a 75% drop since 2002, when there were 40, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from technology platform Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. The big picture: The issue plagues big cities, growing communities and rural areas. More than 1,000 counties, or one in three, don't even have one full-time local journalist. That means fewer people watchdogging your local government, fewer trusted sources to turn to during hurricanes and breaking news, and fewer stories by locals for locals that help you connect with your community. As media analyst Brian Stelter put it, "The loss of local news relates to so many other problems plaguing the US: Polarization, radicalization, loneliness, lack of trust in everyone and everything." Zoom in: Tampa Bay is hanging in there. Pinellas County has eight journalists for every 100,000 people, or about 77 total. Hillsborough has 4.5 per 100,000, or 69 total. Sarasota fares the best with 13 per 100,000 while Pasco has two and Polk has one. The latest: Public media outlets including Tampa Bay's WUSF, WMNF and WEDU are working to make up funding cuts after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $5 million in state money and Congress voted to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding. Between the lines: I love my job and feel lucky every day to be here. It's also come with a lot of heartbreak: Round after round of layoffs, tearful goodbyes with long-time editors who had their autonomy to leave on their own terms snatched away from them, and watching my generation of reporters move on to other industries just to pay their bills. Yes, but: There is still so much good.
Axios
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Northwest Arkansas outpaces U.S. in local journalism
About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per an ambitious new project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability. Why it matters: Many American neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events. Driving the news: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. By the numbers: NWA has a higher than average rate, with 16.1 LJEs in Washington County and 10.4 LJEs in Benton County. How it works: The findings are based on Muck Rack's data about journalists and media outlets nationwide as of the first quarter of 2025, used to show reporters "most likely covering local communities." Among other steps, the authors adjusted the number of overall journalists in each county to account for part-timers, plus those who work for big-city outlets but sometimes cover suburban affairs. The result is the "local journalist equivalent" — a metric similar to "full-time equivalent," which accounts for part-time employees when measuring the size of a workforce. (Read more about the methodology.) Zoom in: While newsrooms in shrinking towns are certainly hurting, even some growing areas have a below-average number of local journalists. "For example, Fort Bend County, a suburb of Houston, and Washington County, a suburb of Portland, Oregon — both areas with rapidly growing populations — have about five LJEs per 100,000 people," per the report. Between the lines: This isn't a purely rural phenomenon, either. "If you're in a big city like Los Angeles, which has a mere 3.6 LJEs per 100,000 people, your neighborhood might be covered if there's a serious crime but not much else," per the report. "You may get little reliable information on local candidates in many of L.A. County's cities, whether the schools in your neighborhood are improving, whether the hospital nearby has a bad mortality rate, or how inspiring people might be working to repair your playground." The other side: The report highlights a few communities running against the trend — like Hooker County, Nebraska, where "one intrepid journalist, Gerri Peterson, covers her community so deeply that, in a county of 679 people, the Hooker County Tribune has 726 paying subscribers."
Axios
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Here's how many journalists cover your town
About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per an ambitious new project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability. Why it matters: Many American neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events. Driving the news: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. How it works: The findings are based on Muck Rack's data about journalists and media outlets nationwide as of Q1 2025, used to show reporters "most likely covering local communities." Among other steps, the authors adjusted the number of overall journalists in each county to account for part-timers, plus those who work for big-city outlets but sometimes cover suburban affairs. The result is the "local journalist equivalent" — a metric similar to "full-time equivalent," which accounts for part-time employees when measuring the size of a workforce. (Read more about the methodology.) Zoom in: While newsrooms in shrinking towns are certainly hurting, even some growing areas have a below-average number of local journalists. "For example, Fort Bend County, a suburb of Houston, and Washington County, a suburb of Portland, Oregon — both areas with rapidly growing populations — have about five LJEs per 100,000 people," per the report. Between the lines: This isn't a purely rural phenomenon, either. "If you're in a big city like Los Angeles, which has a mere 3.6 LJEs per 100,000 people, your neighborhood might be covered if there's a serious crime but not much else," per the report. "You may get little reliable information on local candidates in many of L.A. County's cities, whether the schools in your neighborhood are improving, whether the hospital nearby has a bad mortality rate, or how inspiring people might be working to repair your playground." The other side: The report highlights a few communities running against the trend — like Hooker County, Nebraska, where "one intrepid journalist, Gerri Peterson, covers her community so deeply that, in a county of 679 people, the Hooker County Tribune has 726 paying subscribers."
