Local Rag Lag

“Less than a quarter-century ago, the United States had about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents on average. Now, the equivalent number is 8.2 Local Journalist Equivalents, about a 75% decline. This means that big chunks of the country have severe shortages. Stunningly, more than 1,000 counties — one out of three — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist.” The lack of journalists covering local politics and news is bad. And it’s made worse by the social media (and soon AI) garbage that’s filling the void. Local Journalist Index 2025.