The U.S. lost newspapers at a rate of about 2.5 per week last year, many of them in rural areas. But some newspapers are trying new business models and doubling down on local news. Plus: A southwest Kansas printing press keeps local news alive in small towns across four states.
Over the last two decades, the number of newspapers in the U.S. has dropped by nearly one-third. Today, more than 200 counties are news deserts, with no newspaper at all. Rural areas have been especially impacted. But as Harvest Public Media’s Jim Meadows reports, newspapers are experimenting with different strategies in an effort to keep local news alive.
As papers around the country close and consolidate, rural Kansas towns are fighting to keep theirs in print. As Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports, one southwest Kansas printing press has become a lifeline for local media.
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