How Many Journalists Would a Nation Keep?

The Membership Update is often meta, as it reflects on the very thing members are supporting — journalism. This month it’s double-meta, looking at two studies released this summer that underscore the tenuous state of American journalism. One study investigates a new metric for how well covered the U.S. is by journalists while the other looks at what our country thinks of them.

New Report Reveals Alarming and Widespread Shortage of Local Journalists Across the U.S.

The number of local journalists per capita has dropped by a shocking 75% in the U.S. since 2002, says a study released July 10 by Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack. This sharp decline highlights the evisceration of journalism in recent decades.

Using data “that’s never been tapped before,” the researchers created a new metric called Local Journalist Equivalents (LJEs), akin to the full-time equivalent measure used in many workplaces. The measure estimates reporting capacity based on publishing frequency, outlet type, and geographic focus, determining the number of journalists per 100,000 residents across U.S. counties.

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“Less than a quarter-century ago, the United States had about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents on average,” the report reads. “Now, the equivalent number is 8.2 Local Journalist Equivalents, about a 75% decline.”

From the report: “Stunningly, more than 1,000 counties — one out of three — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist. And the ‘better off’ parts of the country are in lousy shape, too. About two-thirds of the counties — home to 217 million people — are below even that already-catastrophic national average of 8.2 Local Journalist Equivalents.”

Looking at a list ranking the 50 states by LJE, through the lens of Moonshine’s coverage area, California falls far down the list at number 41 with 6.10 LJE and Nevada comes in dead last, with 4.8 LJE.

“This new data confirms that the local journalist shortage is more severe and far-reaching than we feared,” said Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News, in a press release. “Thousands of rural, urban and suburban communities are being left without the basic reporting they need to stay informed, connected, and civically engaged.”

Key findings, per the press release:

• Sharp national decline: In 2002, the U.S. had about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents. Today, the national average is 8.2 LJEs — a drop of about 75%.
• High population, low coverage: Nine counties with more than 2 million residents each, including those home to Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, and Queens, are even worse off. They have about half as many local journalists as the national average. In general, an area can have several local news outlets and grossly insufficient coverage.
• Minimal journalism: More than a third of the counties in the U.S., home to 20.6 million Americans, have less than one LJE covering the area.
• Some states fare far better than others: The best-performing states have roughly three times as many local journalists per 100,000 as the worst. Topping the list is Vermont, which has seen a surge of new journalism outlets to replace those that have disappeared. The bottom of the list includes Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, where proximity to major metro media markets may be crowding out local news.
• Only one state exceeds half of the 2002 benchmark: Vermont, with 27.5 LJEs per 100,000 people, is the only state above half of the 2002 benchmark of 40 journalists per 100,000 residents.
• The averages are about the same for rural, suburban, and urban areas: Counties of different population sizes all average somewhere between six and 10 LJEs per 100,000 people.

“We hope this data informs smarter investments in local journalism and drives urgent policy conversations,” added Gregory Galant, cofounder and CEO of Muck Rack, in the press release. “Local journalists are the backbone of community trust and accountability. The stakes are too high to let this trend continue.”

How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age

Americans largely value journalists’ role in society, says a Pew Research Center study released in August, but see their influence declining — and often differ over who fits the label. The researchers surveyed more than 9,000 Americans and in online focus groups with 45 U.S. adults.

Here are a few key findings:

• Honesty, intelligence, and authenticity are the top three traits in the survey that respondents said are important for the people they get news from to display in their work, though there were differing views on what the term “authenticity” means.
• Americans also care more that someone they get news from has deep knowledge of the topics they cover than whether they are employed by a news organization or have a university degree in journalism.
• Most Americans agree that the people they get news from should definitely report news accurately (84%) and correct false information from public figures (64%) in their daily work.
• Most Americans (79%) agree that someone who writes for a newspaper or news website is a journalist — higher than the share who say the same about someone who reports on TV (65%), radio (59%), or any other medium.
• There is less consensus about whether people who work in newer media are journalists. Fewer than half of U.S. adults say someone who hosts a news podcast (46%), writes their own newsletter about news (40%), or posts about news on social media (26%) is a journalist.
• A majority of Americans (59%) say journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society. An additional 31% say journalists are somewhat important, while just 9% say they are not, or not at all, important.
• But about half of U.S. adults (49%) say journalists are losing influence in society, compared with 15% who say they are gaining influence. And fewer than half (45%) say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public.
• Americans are split over whether it’s acceptable for journalists to advocate for the communities they cover, but more than half agree that journalists publicly expressing their political or religious views is unacceptable when they report on an issue or event.

By supporting Moonshine Ink with memberships, our members are key in boosting the number of journalists per capita in Tahoe/Truckee. However, the struggle is real — and as one can see from the above studies — ongoing. As the year comes to a close, we ask that if you value our work here at Moonshine, please consider renewing and upping your membership, or becoming a fresh, new one. Honestly, we cannot do it without you.