Medill’s Local News report finds ongoing industry-wide issues — and a few bright spots 

This week, the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University released its annual State of the Local News report. 127 local newspapers have closed in the last year, and 7,000 newspaper jobs were lost, according to the executive summary by Zach Metzger. But there are bright spots, writes Autumn Brewington, with an increase in 80 digital news sites and the growth of local news networks like Patch and Axios Local. She highlights 12 newsrooms that are growing despite the struggles in the industry overall.

Last year’s Medill report was criticized by Alice Dreger in the newsletter Local News Blues for incomplete and incorrect data. The Medill team is addressing this issue proactively, asking readers to flag suggested changes to this year’s report. 

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Announcing election urgent care: Connecting U.S. journalists to tools and resources in the post-election period (Election SOS) 

Election SOS is offering newsrooms resources for after the election, including legal assistance, security, data journalism help and advice on governing unexpected election issues. 

>> Elections expert Tina Barton on how the media can cover voting responsibly (Columbia Journalism Review)

Sensationalist or imprecise journalism about elections can make people less likely to trust local officials or the election process in general, and even lead to unrest and violence. 

>> He runs Fox News’ decision desk. Here’s how he sees election night coming. (Politico)

The head of Fox News’s decision desk predicts that the presidential election will be called on Saturday, because that is when he expects Pennsylvania’s votes to be counted. Arnon Mishkin, who called Arizona for President Biden in 2020, is a consultant for the network, not a full-time employee.  

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Culture & Inclusion

>> After the Chicago Tribune didn’t replace retiring architecture critic Blair Kamin, he funded his own successor (Medill Local News Initiative)

In his last column, Blair Kamin wrote that “schlock developers and hack architects would welcome the lack of scrutiny” if The Tribune did not continue to have an architecture critic. Now, through a grant, Kamin sponsors a biweekly architecture column in the paper. 

>> How one journalist reached remote Indonesian Indigenous communities with media literacy (Poynter) 

Zulfa Amira Zaed began reaching Indonesians in remote areas by partnering with local leaders and organizations to get to know members of the community. She wanted to help them understand how to distinguish fact from fiction on social media, which they can sporadically access. 

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Getting started with better listening: A ten-step guide for newsrooms (Medium, J+ at Newmark J-School) 

Community listening projects can build trust between journalists and their audiences, especially if journalists are willing to put themselves in uncomfortable situations.  

>> The backfire effect—is fact-checking doing more harm than good? (Columbia Journalism Review)

The worry that fact-checking will “backfire” and cause people to double down on their incorrect beliefs has not been held up by recent studies, says Columbia professor Yamil Velez. But, she says, this only works with neutral, non-judgmental language. 

>> How community engagement can and will keep the lights on! (America Amplified) 

Newsrooms must focus on audience engagement, says API’s Letrell Crittenden — both to expand revenue and bring in new audiences. This work can also help deepen connections and build trust with local communities. 

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Join us: Diversifying Revenue Series: Connecting fundraising asks to news coverage 

Join us for a conversation with Gillian White, chief revenue officer for Capital B, about how a small team can develop fundraising appeals that speak to a news organization’s mission and audience, tying fundraising asks to key events and news coverage, and focusing your efforts for end-of-year fundraising campaigns. Join us on Thursday, November 21 from 12 to 1pm CT. 

>> Costco has a magazine and it’s thriving (The New York Times) 

Costco’s in-house magazine is a monthly periodical that is delivered to more homes than “Better Homes & Gardens, The New Yorker and The Atlantic combined,” writes Mattie Kahn. It has also scored interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen. 

>> How The Courier Eco Latino is turning obituaries into opportunity (The Pivot Fund)

Readers of The Courier Eco Latino can pay for death notices, obituaries and memorials on a simple website, and then purchase flowers and other gifts through the platform. The platform is projected to generate more than $90,000 in annual revenue. 

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What else you need to know

💰 American Journalism Project invests $3.6 million in the growth of three local nonprofit news organizations (American Journalism Project)

🙅 Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement (Columbia Journalism Review)

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Weekend reads

+ Meet the Florida billionaire who wants to be a newspaper baron (The New York Times) 

+ Can the media survive? Big tech, feckless owners, cord-cutters, restive staff, smaller audiences … and the return of print? (New York Magazine) 

+ Why I left the L.A. Times: And some thoughts on what’s happening to journalism (Substack, Frank Bear) 

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