A project of the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media
The Expanding News Desert
Penelope Muse Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics
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2020 Report: News Deserts and Ghost Newspapers: Will Local News Survive?
2018 Report: The Expanding News Desert
2017 Report: Thwarting the Emergence of News Deserts
2016 Report: The Rise of a New Media Baron and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts
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The Rise of a New Media Baron and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts
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The Rise of a New Media Baron and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts
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Report Sections
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Executive Summary
A Dramatically Changed Landscape
Fewer Newspapers
Fewer Readers
Fewer Owners
The Rise of a New Media Baron
How the New Media Baron is Different
The Largest 25 Companies in 2004
2008 and a Tectonic Shift for the Industry
The Largest 25 in 2014
How the New Media Barons Grew
The Profile of a New Type of Owner
The Lack of Transparency and Civic Responsibility
Post-2014: Consolidation Continues
The Emerging Threat of News Deserts
The National Footprint of the Largest 25 Chains
The Vast Reach of Investment Companies
Where Investment Companies Bought Papers
What Investment Companies Look For
Investment Strategies vs. Community Needs
Six States: Six Case Studies
Diminished Local Newspapers: An Unfilled Void
The Challenges for Newspapers and Communities
Finding Solutions: Saving Community Journalism
Report Appendices
Closed Dailies: 2004-Today
List of Newspapers Owned by Largest 25 Companies: 2004, 2014, & 2016
Timelines of Seven Largest Investment Companies: 2004-Today
Investment Company Detailed Categorizations
Newspapers Owned by the Seven Largest Investment Companies: 2016
Six Case Study States – Newspapers Owned by the Seven Largest Investment Companies: 2016
What Investment Companies Say About Themselves