Local news crisis sparks a nonprofit journalism revolution in the US
The closure of long-standing newspapers has left gaps in local news across the US. Since 2005, over 3,500 titles have disappeared, with two shutting down each week on average. The latest casualty is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of America’s oldest papers, which will cease publication after a court ruling in a labor dispute with unionized workers.
The decline of traditional newspapers has brought wider consequences. Studies link their collapse to weaker civic engagement, higher corruption, government waste, and deeper political divides in affected communities. Yet as legacy papers fade, nonprofit newsrooms have stepped in to fill the void.
In the last decade, hundreds of these organizations have launched, from Lafayette, Louisiana, to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Many operate online or via email, bypassing print and newsstands. Their funding comes from a mix of philanthropic groups, local businesses, individual donors, and readers who treat journalism as a public service. The shift has also reshaped awards. For the past three years, every Pulitzer Prize for local reporting has gone to nonprofit outlets—many of which didn’t exist a decade ago. Winners include Mississippi Today, Mirror Indy, and Boyle Heights Beat. In 2024 alone, The City (New York) won for uncovering hidden taxes, while Mississippi Free Press (Jackson) earned recognition for its series Always Chasing Justice. Pittsburgh’s loss of its historic paper won’t leave the city without news. Nonprofit alternatives have already taken root, offering residents a new way to stay informed.
The rise of nonprofit journalism marks a clear shift in how local news is produced and funded. These organizations now dominate major awards and serve communities once covered by traditional papers. Their growth suggests a lasting change in the media landscape, even as older institutions fade.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
