This year has brought hardships on several people, businesses and community organizations. The local newspaper is no different.
According to PEN America, COVID-19 has had a devastating economic impact on local news agencies, “threatening their ability to function at all.” Dozens of local newspapers throughout the country have furloughed or completely laid off their journalists, reduced publications’ frequency or done away with print editions completely.
“In an industry that employs more than 80,000 people nationwide, many outlets are now struggling to cover even half of their reporters’ salaries, with newsroom layoffs increasing across the country,” a letter from PEN America states.
As newspapers have seen its decline since 2008 – about 50 percent fewer employees now – the introduction of COVID-19 has hit its advertising with full force. Most, if not all, newspapers thrive on advertising over the actual purchase of a Sunday morning print, and with businesses having been closed due to COVID-19, they are unable to afford to advertise. In turn, this hurts newspapers’ advertising revenue.
As many publishers have announced temporary, dramatic measures they have implemented to cater to changes brought on by COVID-19, some believe these changes may even become permanent.
According to Pew Research prior to COVID-19, newspapers in the U.S. have laid off more than half of its newsroom employees between 2008 and 2019, a decline in its staff from about 71,000 to 35,000 workers.
However, other newsrooms – broadcast television, radio, cable and digital-native – remained about the same with a slight rise after 2014. From 2008 to 2014, according to PEW, newsroom employees averaged about 43,000 and increased to 53,000 by 2019.
“This increase of more than 9,000 jobs in the non-newspaper industries nearly offset the loss of about 11,000 newspaper newsroom employees after 2014,” according to PEW Research. “However, it fell far short of offsetting the total loss of about 36,000 newspaper jobs over the entire 2008 to 2019 period.”
Regardless of the decrease in newspaper employees, the public’s focus on local news has increased by about 50 percent, according to Gallup.com.
“Looking at options to sustain local news organizations, most Americans oppose providing federal or local government funding for these organizations,” according to Gallup. “The public largely favors private sources of funding, such as from local residents, philanthropic organizations, individual investors and technology companies.”
As government officials have closed down states, counties and cities due to COVID-19, reports state a new influx of cases may arise. This increase could lead to more closings, even after Texas State Governor Greg Abbott recently OK’d the opening of bars – one of the last businesses allowed to reopen. This could make it more difficult for advertise-centric businesses financially, such as local newspapers.
SOURCE Gallup.com pewresearch.org PEN.org
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