The local news industry is struggling with significant financial challenges. Revenues have dropped sharply in recent years as readers switch to online sources and fewer people subscribe to newspapers. As a result, hundreds of community weeklies have closed, and those that remain are often struggling to maintain their staffs.
Nevertheless, most Americans continue to say that their local news outlets are doing a good job. The vast majority of local TV and radio viewers say they get their news from a network affiliate, while nearly half get it from a newspaper or community-based app. But these outlets are not equal in terms of quality, and many local TV and radio stations have largely abandoned traditional journalistic standards.
When it comes to the political content of local news, most Americans believe that journalists should remain neutral and not advocate for or against any particular viewpoints. However, younger adults are more likely to say that local journalists should be advocates for change in their communities.
In the early days of television, broadcasters built local affiliates to distribute their national and local news across a designated media market area (DMA). Today, many of these stations are owned by large media conglomerates such as Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, and Gray Television. As a result, viewers are exposed to a stream of national partisan hot takes under the guise of their local news.
When asked about the topics they often get local news about, a substantial proportion of survey respondents said that they were satisfied with the coverage of each topic — including local sports (51%), weather (34%), and government (26%). These figures are relatively high compared to how satisfied Americans are with national news organizations overall.