Rebuilding Local News: Why Strong Journalism Is Essential in Every State

Local news is where communities learn what’s happening in their own back yards, from school board decisions to public safety updates. Across the country, these essential sources of information are disappearing, creating news deserts that leave many Americans in the dark. This article explains why rebuilding a strong, sustainable news industry ecosystem is critical for every state.

What Is a News Desert?

A news desert is a community with little or no access to credible, original local news reporting. News deserts form when local newspapers close or shrink to the point that they can no longer consistently cover key community issues and local events. These gaps in news coverage leave residents without reliable information about what is happening in their own neighborhoods, making it more difficult for residents to stay engaged and connected.

Why Local News Coverage Matters More Than Ever

A strong local news ecosystem is foundational to a healthy democracy, thriving communities and informed decision-making. Yet across the United States, that ecosystem is weakening at an alarming rate. News deserts stats reveal that thousands of local news outlets have closed in recent decades, leaving many counties with only one, or even zero, reliable sources of local reporting. No state is immune; both rural and urban communities are experiencing newsroom losses, often leaving underserved populations without a voice.

This decline has far-reaching consequences. 

Strengthening Civic Engagement and Accountability

Local journalism plays a critical role in holding public officials accountable. Investigative reporting, city council coverage, and school board updates ensure transparency. Communities with robust local news coverage are more likely to have engaged voters and informed public discourse. Strong local media systems are linked to better civic outcomes, including higher levels of community participation and more effective governance.

Without this oversight, misinformation and corruption in local government spreads more easily, and residents may feel disconnected from or powerless to influence decisions that directly affect their lives.

Filling Critical Information Gaps

When local news outlets disappear critical information gaps emerge. Residents may struggle to find accurate updates on emergencies, public health issues or infrastructure changes.

The Pew Research Center notes that while many Americans still value local news their connection to it is changing, with fewer people relying on traditional outlets. This shift increases the risk that communities will rely on fragmented or less-than-reliable sources.

Strengthening Economic and Social Opportunities

Local journalism contributes to economic vitality. Coverage of local businesses and development projects helps drive commerce and informs residents about opportunities in their area.

Supporting Community Identity and Connection

Local news does more than report facts, it tells the story of a community. Coverage of local businesses, cultural events, and neighborhood initiatives builds a shared sense of identity and belonging. 

Local news ecosystems also foster trust and collaboration by highlighting community voices that might otherwise go unheard. This storytelling function is especially important in diverse states where regional differences shape daily life. Declining local news access leads to increased polarization and reduced trust in institutions, making it easier for bad actors to take control of regional and national narratives and disenfranchise geographically and socially marginalized communities.

By expanding local news coverage, organizations can:

• Restore consistent reporting on local government and public services
• Provide equitable access to information across communities
• Strengthen disaster preparedness and public safety awareness
• Elevate underrepresented voices and perspectives

Investment in local journalism is an investment in stronger, more resilient communities.

How the Federal Local Journalism Sustainability Act Is Helping

The 2025–2026 Local Journalism Sustainability Act represents an important first step toward rebuilding local news. It creates targeted tax incentives that support local journalism organizations and community engagement. The bill offers credits for newspaper subscriptions, journalist payroll, and small business advertising, all designed to strengthen the financial sustainability of local media outlets and preserve access to reliable community reporting. 

As policymakers respond to ongoing cuts to public broadcasting and shrinking newsroom resources, supporters argue that measures like this are essential to stabilizing and expanding local news coverage across the country.

How States Are Taking Action: California’s News Desert Challenges and Emerging Solutions

Despite its weighty political and economic influence, even California is not immune to news deserts. Its massive overall size and large unpopulated areas mean that many of its communities have lost local newspapers or seen significant reductions in newsroom staff, limiting consistent coverage of regional issues.

In response, state lawmakers and news leaders are working to rebuild the state’s local news ecosystem. Initiatives include proposed legislation aimed at:

• Creating sustainable funding streams for local newsrooms
• Supporting newsroom jobs and journalist retention
• Expanding coverage in underserved areas

The Essential Role of Journalism Nonprofits

In the meantime, nonprofit news organizations like the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education are playing a critical role in strengthening local news capacity across California. The Maynard Institute provides leadership and DEIB training, business strategy support and professional development resources to journalists and publishers working in local and community-based outlets.

The Maynard Institute helps newsrooms become more sustainable and resilient by equipping them with the tools needed to adapt to changing media landscapes, strengthen audience engagement and build viable revenue models. It also prioritizes support for diversity-rich community media organizations, ensuring that all Californians have access to relevant, culturally competent reporting.

Together, legislative efforts and nonprofit capacity-building programs reflect a growing recognition that local journalism is a public good, one that requires both policy support and long-term investment in the people and institutions behind the news.

California’s experience offers a clear lesson for the rest of the country: even in states with large media markets, local news can erode without sustained investment. Rebuilding it will take collaboration among policymakers, nonprofit organizations, journalists, and community members alike.

Get Support for Your Local Media Organization With the Maynard Institute

The Maynard Institute inspires and powers the national, collaborative drive for equity, belonging, and diversity in news media. We’re working to create a healthy democratic society informed by a representative, equitable, and reflective news media.

For nearly 50 years, the Maynard Institute has helped newsrooms do the work necessary to create journalism that is more accurate, reflective, and inclusive of the communities they serve.

Our fellowships and training programs equip journalists and news organizations with the tools to reimagine coverage, sourcing, audience engagement, hiring, and retention — all while fostering a culture of belonging.

Connect with us today to learn more about what we do and how we can help you as a journalist or your organization as an essential local news outlet. You can also give to Maynard to become part of our family—along with our staff, board, community partners, and thousands of graduates. 

For Maynard Regional Training faculty and participants, journalism leadership is “more than a profession”

by Alice Finno, Maynard Institute reporting intern

This post contains promotional material for the Maynard Regional Training Series in Chicago.

The Maynard Institute will host a free training for entry- and mid-level editors and managers in Chicago, Illinois, on June 4 through 5, as part of its regional training series.

In partnership with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, the training will provide coaching and mentoring to help editors and managers working in print, broadcast and digital platforms navigate the complexities of newsroom leadership. Northwestern will cover the standard registration fee on behalf of registrants. Two meals will be provided each day, and limited discounted hotel rooms will be available.

Anyone from the Chicago regional area is invited to attend the training. Registration is open until Tuesday, May 26. Anyone with questions can contact Maynard Regional Training Series Director Odette Alcazaren-Keeley. 

Award-winning journalists and Medill professors will lead workshops and discussions together with Maynard Institute faculty.

Empathy

Martin Reynolds, co-executive director at the Maynard Institute, said that people often start managerial positions without receiving any training, especially when transitioning from a reporter role to a manager or editor position. 

However, Reynolds said, only one in ten people have the skills to be a successful manager, according to Gallup, a research and polling organization. During the Chicago training, Reynolds will hold a session about “The Manager’s Mindset” and core aspects of leadership roles, including authority, influence and empathy.  

“Having empathy and compassion for your people is really one of the elements that I think is essential,” Reynolds said. “If you don’t have that, it’s very difficult to be an effective manager, a good manager, where your colleagues will thrive under your leadership.”

Integrity

Mei-Ling Hopgood, journalism professor at Northwestern, will hold a session on using AI with integrity, where participants will discuss newsrooms’ standards and practices when using large language models, such as ChatGPT and Gemini.

“They’re going to be part of newsrooms, they’re going to be part of our workflow, but to be able to say aloud  — or to have in writing  — this is my philosophy, these are the values that are guiding my use, is very important,” Hopgood said, adding that she hopes people will leave the session having a sense of the guiding principles they want to follow when using AI.

Complexity

Deborah Douglas, director of the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub, will hold a session called “Complicating the Narrative,” where she will teach people a deep listening technique used in interviewing developed by journalist Amanda Ripley, who currently partners with Maynard alum Hélène Biandudi Hoffer at Good Conflict, guiding and facilitating communication by reimagining conflict “to help people listen and be heard in times of profound disagreement.”

“In a time of deep polarization and shrinking trust, I want to introduce a deep listening technique that models deep listening so that people feel heard and so that they feel safe enough to open up and give us the real answer, not just the surface level answers that people tend to give,” she said.

Trust

At the training, Mackenzie Warren, interim executive director of the Medill Local News Initiative, will also present the findings of a study about how Chicago gets its news. The researchers surveyed 1,101 adults in the Chicago metropolitan area and examined consumer behavior, obtaining insights about audiences’ evolving habits and interests.

Warren said the survey focused on 14 counties and included urban, suburban and rural communities in proportions roughly mirroring the United States’ population while also taking race, class and socio-economic status into account to have a representative index. 

“I feel somewhat confident in using it as a directional information about how the United States as a whole is getting local news,” he added.

Warren also shared that the Medill Local News Initiative is designed to help the local news ecosystem thrive and highlighted the correlation between positive performance in local news and in democratic norms. 

“Without trusted local journalism, it’s not as possible for ordinary people to make good decisions in their lives,” he said.

Perspective

Doris Truong, deputy director of the Fire Up Entrepreneurship Program at the Maynard Institute, will lead a session on listening and identifying personal values. Truong will talk about interviewing people you disagree with without expressing judgement. 

“When you’re talking to sources, it’s really important for them to understand that you’re just trying to understand them, not trying to change their minds,” she said. “You may end up having to interview somebody that you can say ‘I don’t agree with this, but I really want to help my audience understand your perspective.’”

Felecia Henderson, senior director of strategic initiatives at the Maynard Institute, will hold a session about navigating difficult conversations, providing useful steps managers can follow and then role-playing scenarios.

“When you’re a manager, you really have to find a way to strike the right tone, the right setting, the right approach. And a lot of people don’t know what that is,” Henderson said.

Henderson added that when people finish a regional training, they become part of the Maynard Communities of Practice, a program that connects people working in the same field and provides continuous training across different curriculum tracks.

Community

Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, director of the Maynard Regional Training and Communities of Practice Programs, shared that the training will include a roundtable with news leaders from the region to talk about the state of the media in the region.

Alcazaren-Keeley said what participants always appreciate about the programs is sharing the room with other journalists who face the same challenges and be able to learn from each other. 

“What we hope is that when they leave, they feel they are not alone, that they have us, and they have each other, and they grow the community with us: they become part of the Maynard family that endures,” she said.

Jasmine Barnes, program manager at the Maynard Institute, said she enjoys creating the vision for a Maynard training and thinking about all the details that will enhance the participants’ experience.

“I’m really hoping that the Chicago training can be a really good opportunity for Northwestern’s network and broader community, as well as some Maynard alumni and some folks who haven’t really been involved with either of those institutions to meet and to really talk about the region and the unique challenges and opportunities that are present in Chicago,” she said.

Calling

Mackenzie Warren expressed his excitement for having frontline editors and leaders in journalism come together for the training. 

“There’s going be a room full of people who have signed on to this mission and dedicated themselves to this profession that’s more than a profession, it’s a calling,” Warren said.

“Our contributions to journalism will outlast ourselves if we do it right — I’m really encouraged that there’s a room full of people, the next generation of people, who see themselves that way and see this as not just their job, but their mission, and are invested in themselves to get better at their craft.”

The Business Case for DEIB Training in Journalism

By Celeste Barker Bright for Nonprofit Megaphone

In an era when public trust in news is both more fragile and more essential than ever, how stories are told matters just as much as the stories themselves. For journalism employers, investing in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) training is a powerful way to strengthen reporting, build audience trust, and create newsrooms where every voice contributes to more accurate and impactful storytelling. 

What DEI Training Means and Why Belonging Matters

Diversity, equity, and inclusion training, or DEI training, helps organizations build workplaces where people of all identities and backgrounds are fairly represented, treated, and supported in contributing fully. DEI training programs focus on improving awareness around the experiences of nonwhite and noncisgender male workers. This helps to reduce both conscious and unconscious bias and create systems that ensure equitable access to workplace opportunities and resources.

Many organizations now emphasize DEIB, which adds a critical fourth pillar of social equity: belonging. Belonging goes beyond representation and fairness. It reflects whether employees actually feel accepted, valued, and psychologically safe enough to contribute authentically. Without belonging, even diverse and equitable workplaces may struggle with disengagement or high turnover when employees don’t truly feel included.

In other words, DEI creates access and opportunity, while belonging ensures people feel connected and empowered once they are there. For news media organizations and the American public media as a whole, where storytelling depends on authentic voices and perspectives, that distinction is especially important.

The Real-World Benefits of DEIB Training for Media Employers

DEIB training isn’t just a nice-to-have workplace initiative. Diversity in the media directly influences the quality, accuracy, and impact of reporting. Research and industry guidance consistently show that inclusive representation in media outlets produces stronger journalism and more sustainable organizations.

Stronger, More Accurate Reporting

A diverse and inclusive newsroom is better equipped to cover stories that concern all American communities and the challenges they face. When journalists reflect a broader range of lived experiences, coverage becomes more representative and less likely to overlook or misinterpret marginalized perspectives.

Inclusive practices help journalists ask better questions, build trust with sources, and avoid harmful stereotypes. DEIB training equips staff with the tools to recognize bias in sourcing, framing, and language, leading to more accurate and nuanced reporting.

Increased Audience Trust and Engagement

Trust is a core currency in journalism, and DEIB training plays a significant role in strengthening it. When audiences see themselves reflected fairly in coverage, they are more likely to engage with and trust a news outlet. That translates to positive company reputations and ratings in very real ways.

Inclusive journalism fosters stronger relationships with communities, particularly those historically underrepresented or misrepresented in media. By improving cultural competency and awareness, DEIB training helps newsrooms build credibility and deepen audience connections.

More Innovative and Resilient Newsrooms

Organizations that invest in DEIB often benefit from greater creativity and innovation. Forbes explains that diverse teams bring a wider range of ideas, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches, which can lead to better decision-making and more innovative content strategies.

In the fast-changing media landscape, adaptability is essential. DEIB training encourages open dialogue, collaboration, and inclusive leadership practices that help teams respond more effectively to new challenges and opportunities.

Improved Employee Engagement and Retention

Employees who feel valued and included are more likely to stay and contribute at a high level. DEIB-focused environments improve morale, job satisfaction, and overall performance.

For journalism employers, this translates into lower turnover and a more stable workforce. Given the demanding nature of newsroom work, fostering a sense of belonging can help prevent burnout and ensure that talented journalists remain engaged and committed.

Reduced Bias and Ethical Risk

Bias in journalism can lead not only to misinformation but also to reputational damage and loss of public trust. DEIB training helps staff identify unconscious biases and understand how they may influence reporting decisions. Structured DEI workshops provide practical tools for addressing bias, improving communication, and fostering accountability. This is especially important in journalism, where ethical standards require fairness, accuracy, and sensitivity.

Stronger Leadership and Organizational Culture

DEIB training also shapes leadership practices. Inclusive leaders are better equipped to manage diverse teams, support equitable advancement, and create transparent decision-making processes. Organizations that prioritize DEIB develop healthier workplace cultures characterized by trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. In newsrooms, this can lead to stronger editorial alignment and a more cohesive mission.

Why News Organizations Should Partner With DEIB Training Experts

While internal efforts are valuable, many news organizations stand to gain the most from working with third-party DEIB specialists who bring expertise, structure, and objectivity to the process.

Specialized Industry Expertise

Organizations such as the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education provide tailored training specifically designed for media professionals. Their programs address the unique challenges of journalism, such as inclusive sourcing, equitable storytelling, and newsroom culture. External partners bring proven frameworks and up-to-date best practices that may not exist internally. 

Objective Assessment and Accountability

Third-party consultants can offer an unbiased perspective on workplace culture and practices. External experts can identify gaps, measure progress, and recommend data-driven strategies for improvement. This objectivity is particularly valuable in journalism organizations, where internal dynamics and hierarchies may make it difficult to address sensitive issues openly.

Customized, Scalable Training Programs

External partners can design training programs that align with an organization’s size, goals, and audience. Partnering with experts can strengthen broader diversity and inclusion strategies, including hiring and retention efforts. For news organizations with multiple teams or locations, scalable training ensures consistency while allowing for customization based on local needs.

Long-Term Strategy and Sustainable Impact

DEIB is not a one-time initiative. It requires ongoing commitment and continuous improvement. External consultants can help organizations move beyond one-off workshops to develop long-term strategies that embed DEIB principles into daily operations. Outsourcing enables companies to build sustainable programs with clear goals, metrics, and accountability structures — all without guesswork or strain on company staff.

For journalism employers, this means creating a newsroom culture where inclusive practices aren’t just passively or abstractly encouraged, but actively and concretely integrated into every aspect of reporting, editing, and leadership. By investing in DEIB training and partnering with experienced organizations, news media employers can strengthen both their workplace culture and the quality of their journalism.

Get Expert DEIB Training for Your Media Organization With the Maynard Institute

The Maynard Institute inspires and powers the national, collaborative drive for DEIB in news media. Our antiracism training programs have helped create decades of news industry trailblazers, all of whom belong to the “Maynard Family”: a community of deep caring and intergenerational support for journalists of color. Programs by the Maynard Institute are open to all applicants, and the Maynard Institute is committed to addressing the under-representation of people of color and other historically disadvantaged groups in media-related professions.

The Maynard Institute’s Fault Lines® Culture Shift Program gives media professionals the tools to recognize and address biases that shape news coverage. Rooted in the Fault Lines® framework, our program helps organizations move far beyond performative DEI efforts. 

Instead, we use intentional DEI practices — built on nearly 50 years of DEI training in media spaces — that are proven to create inclusive workplaces that connect with diverse communities. Fill out our interest form to Register to bring Maynard’s Fault Lines® training to your company today!

Jasmine Barnes

Jasmine Barnes (she/her) is a community builder, writer and program manager based on Potawatomi land on the South Side of Chicago. For many years, Jasmine served as the Community Engagement Director of an education non-profit, helping adults nationwide develop their relationship-building and collaborative communication skills. She applied similar strategies to the organization’s internal culture, co-leading its inaugural strategic DEI initiatives and developing foundational workplace culture practices. Jasmine has also worked as a consultant providing workplace culture training, facilitation, and program development services to values-driven organizations. 

With a degree in sociology and journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, Jasmine brings a human-centered approach to her work, helping organizations and individuals better understand themselves and others. She specializes in creating and facilitating trainings and programs grounded in a trauma-informed, healing-centered framework. Her greatest joy is creating supportive and inclusive environments that encourage people to take risks and grow.

Jasmine expands upon this relational work by amplifying and archiving everyday stories as a freelance journalist contributing to South Side Weekly, City Bureau, the Chicago Reader and other publications. 

Remembering Diana R. Fuentes

After passing away suddenly in Washington, D.C. on March 20, Diana R. Fuentes is being remembered across the nation as an indomitable journalist, a dedicated editor and educator, a steadfast mentor and a fierce advocate for journalists and journalism.

Executive Director of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Fuentes began her more than 35-year-long career in journalism in her hometown of Laredo, Texas, where she served as editor of the Laredo Morning Times.

“Whether she was representing IRE at events across the country or engaging with our international and student members, her dedication to our mission was clear. She worked tirelessly to make investigative training accessible and was also a passionate defender of press freedom and journalist safety,” IRE Board President Josh Hinkle said in a statement released March 20.

“In light of the challenges we face today, she reminded us that ‘we have a constitutionally protected right — and deep responsibility — to keep the people informed, and we will not stop.’ Those words from Diana — shared in a recent statement of support for journalists arrested for their protest coverage — resonate now more than ever.”

Many in the journalism community and her home state of Texas expressed shock at her unexpected passing, as well as the deep loss of a friend and teacher so integral to the journalism community.

“We are saddened to share the passing of a giant in our industry. One of our leaders, mentors and dear friends, Diana ‘DeeDee’ Fuentes has passed away. It is a shock to many of us and we are processing it just as you are,” San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists stated in a Facebook post.

IRE will be closed Friday, March 27 as the staff takes time off to attend her funeral.

“Texas journalism — and the national investigative journalism community — has lost a giant. Whether she was fighting for open records, coaching a young reporter, or leading a national journalism organization dedicated to accountability, she did so with a rare combination of tenacity, grace, and unwavering integrity. She taught us that the story matters, but the people behind the stories matter more,” Texas Managing Editors posted to Facebook.

Oakland Voices director and Maynard alum Rasheed Shabazz expressed gratitude to Fuentes as well as sorrow at her passing in an emailed statement.

“I finally met Diana Fuentes in real life last year at the NABJ Conference during an investigative journalism panel. It was an honor to share a stage with her. I am grateful for all the work she did to support young and emerging investigative journalists and I wish I had more time to learn from her. Thank you, Diana,” Shabazz said.

IRE has posthumously nominated Fuentes to be inducted into its Ring of Honor at this year’s IRE Conference, taking place June 18-21. The Ring of Honor is a “new initiative celebrating members who have made a significant contribution to the organization and to investigative journalism.” Those who wish to do so can donate to the campaign in Fuentes’ honor.

Doris Truong, Deputy Director of the Maynard Institute’s Fire Up Training Program

Doris Truong is deputy director of the Maynard Institute’s Fire Up training program for journalism entrepreneurs. She is an inclusion expert and facilitator who led teaching and diversity strategies for the Poynter Institute.

She has two decades of daily news experience from The Washington Post and The Dallas Morning News. She served as national president of the Asian American Journalists Association, vice president of UNITY: Journalists for Diversity and a board member on the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

She was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, researching ways journalists can mitigate their own unconscious bias. And she is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. Find her on most social platforms @doristruong.

Award honors the Maynard Institute’s impact

The Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications announced March 12 plans to recognize the Maynard Institute with the Lorraine Branham Award during Newhouse School’s Mirror Awards ceremony in May.

Established in 2021, the award honors late Newhouse Dean Emerita Lorraine Branham, and recognizes a media organization that has worked to promote inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in the news.

Previous Branham Award recipients include ICT, the 19th News, MLK50 and Amplifier.

Lorraine Branham’s legacy, and ours

“Lorraine Branham was a 1977 graduate of the Summer Program for Minority Journalists, an early training initiative founded by a diverse group of journalists, including the late Robert C. Maynard,” said Evelyn Hsu, co-executive director of the Maynard Institute. “That program stood at the forefront of efforts to desegregate America’s newsrooms. We are deeply honored to receive an award bearing Lorraine’s name, and it will inspire our continued work.”

“Lorraine Branham’s legacy reminds us that expanding opportunity in journalism has always required intention—and courage,” said Martin G. Reynolds, Maynard Institute co-executive director. 

“At a time when some are questioning the value of that work, this recognition affirms that inclusive, representative journalism is foundational to a just, equitable, and informed society.

It also honors the most meaningful outcome of our mission—the journalists of color and those of diverse backgrounds at the center of our programs, alongside others we support to stay and thrive in this field. History will look back on this moment and remember who stood firm in their values—and we will be among them.”

“The Maynard Institute doesn’t just identify the problem—they develop the solutions,” the selection committee said. “Their commitment to building a more inclusive and representative media landscape has transformed journalism and set the standard for how organizations can champion equity and authentic storytelling.” 

About the Mirror Awards

Established by the Newhouse School in 2006, the Mirror Awards are the preeminent competition in the field of media industry reporting. Prizes are awarded in four juried categories, recognizing the reporters, editors and writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit.

Dateline NBC host and NBC News journalist Lester Holt will receive The Fred Dressler Leadership Award at the 2026 Mirror Awards ceremony May 19 in New York City.

The Dressler Award is named after the late Fred Dressler, an influential figure in the cable broadcasting industry. The award honors individuals or organizations that have made distinct and consistent contributions to the public’s understanding of the media.

The arrests of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon for reporting on a protest set a dangerous precedent for press freedom. Bearing witness is not a crime. Reporting at moments of civic tension — especially where government power and community response intersect — is core to journalism’s role in a democracy, and the First Amendment exists to protect precisely this work.

Through our Fault Lines® framework, we know the risk is not evenly shared. Journalists working at the intersections of race, immigration, power, and community — often independent or community-based reporters — are the first to feel the chilling effect when newsgathering is criminalized.

If they are pushed out, the voices and communities journalism has worked to include are pushed out too. We stand with the National Association of Black Journalists and the wider journalism community in condemning these arrests and calling for the protection of journalists’ constitutionally protected rights.