News Coverage in America
Exploring local news coverage across U.S. counties - integrated with live data
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This map is connected to our live article database. Click any county to see local outlets and recent articles from that area.
- •Articles from local outlets are boosted in your feed
- •Stories show local coverage gaps when detected
- •Owner pages show market dominance analysis
A news desert is a community without access to local news sources. Residents in these areas lack coverage of local government, schools, and community events, leading to less civic engagement and government accountability.
Since 2004, over 2,500 newspapers have closed across the United States. Many surviving papers have been acquired by large chains, often resulting in reduced local coverage and staff layoffs.
This visualization uses data from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism News Deserts project, tracking local newspaper ownership and closures across the United States.