Peter Weinberger at The Claremont Courier:
Local newspapers continued disappearing at a pace similar to — or worse than — 2024. More than 130 local news outlets closed this year, averaging over two per week. This trend has expanded news deserts with little to no local reporting to 213 U.S. counties. About 50 million Americans live with limited or no access to fact-based local news.
Smaller independent newspapers, many family-run for decades, accounted for most of these closures, not the big chain roll-ups of prior years. The Courier continues to buck many of these trends as a hybrid print and digital news provider with strong reader and advertising support.
A bright spot in 2025 was the continued rise of digital-only local news outlets and journalism startups, with more than 300 launched over the past five years. These digital outlets often operate under new business models (membership, philanthropy, nonprofit status), though most are concentrated in urban or affluent markets, not rural regions where news deserts persist. San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Twin Cities and Denver are leaders for news startups
Next month, LA Reported will join this list of startups.