Central Appalachia consists of nearly 200 rural counties, yet only about 1% of philanthropic funding for news in the U.S. makes its way to rural communities. As an Appalachian ex-pat, I’ve seen what this looks like up close: a lack of reliable information leaves people guessing, and outsiders are often the ones telling the region’s story| Listening Post Collective
Try searching the McDonald’s website for the restaurant closest to zip code 69152, and you’ll receive an apology: no restaurants in that area. Try the same search for a Walmart, and you’ll receive a similar message.| Local News Initiative
For Press Forward (PF) Central Appalachia, the challenge is clear: bringing new life to the news and information ecosystem across a vast, primarily rural region. To convince national funders to invest in an area historically overlooked, the team focused on building a powerful, data-driven case for support.| Civic Information Index
The Good and the Bad in Media Coverage Now| Vox Populi
We track closures and mergers of local news outlets, as well as the emergence of new local news providers, across newspapers, digital, ethnic media, and public broadcasting. We identify local news deserts and communities in danger of becoming news deserts. We are a forum for thought leadership and the latest research on changes to the journalism landscape and practice.| Local News Initiative
If you’re looking for fact-based and unbiased news, start with local sources. 126 websites included on the April Web/Print Media Bias Chart| Ad Fontes Media
Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts – counties lacking a professional source of local news – it was an avalanche. Trump won 91% percent of these counties over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of voting data by Medill Journalism School’s State of Local News project.| Local News Initiative
