At least 1,800 communities across America have no local media. This vacuum has created opportunities, not only for new reporting outlets to emerge, but also for national journalists to devote their attention to local institutions.

In Philadelphia, Broad + Liberty launched in 2019 to cover local and current issues with an eye toward “improving civic dialogue.” In Illinois, Wirepoints regularly breaks stories on corruption.  And the Wall Street Journal provides consistent, high-quality reporting on local news across the country. These journalists serve as watchdogs helping to preserve local institutions.  

In this event, we highlighted how freedom-friendly voices are reporting on local news around the country. We discussed how the shifting local media market provides opportunities for new reporting voices and outlets, as well as the kind of local stories and regions that are underreported.

communications@manattan-institute.org