Local News Outlets Face Economic Challenges and Decline Across West Virginia and U.S.
Local news in West Virginia and across the United States is undergoing significant changes, with 40% of newspapers disappearing in the last two decades, resulting in at least 50,000 job losses. This decline has led to 50 million people living in 'news deserts' nationwide. A recent event at West Virginia University's Media Innovation Center, titled 'America’s Rural Future: What do we lose without local news?', brought together professors, government officials, and journalists to discuss these trends. Panelists highlighted that while West Virginia has 69 qualified newspapers for Fiscal Year 2027, two counties, Wyoming and McDowell, lack primary newspapers. The economic model for local news is struggling, with the cost of employing journalists often exceeding revenue from subscriptions, advertising, and philanthropy. Many young, talented individuals are leaving the state due to limited economic opportunities in journalism.
