Saving Local News: Dwindling Support Leaves Communities, Civic Engagement at Risk

• Data shows an increase in news deserts.
• Lack of support for local media threatens civic engagement and voter turnout.
• Innovative public policy, such as tax credits and fellowships, offer ways to strengthen local media.
• Federal budget cuts to local media disproportionately harm rural areas.

A thriving economy hinges on a healthy, stable democracy, and a significant part of that is credible, diverse, and well-resourced media to inform the citizenry.

On July 22, members of Michigan’s local media and the nationwide Local Media Association convened with business, community, and research leaders to discuss the importance of local journalism as a pillar of civic engagement and vital community service. Detroit Regional Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah delivered opening remarks.

“What’s happening in City Hall, the county courts, the state capital, and of course, in Washington must be reported on, not opinionated on,” Baruah said. “There’s certainly room for opinion, and there’s plenty of room for opinion in our social media feeds. But what is at risk is real news held to real journalistic standards.”

American journalist Chuck Todd also led a conversation with members of the Detroit Region’s local media about how this crisis is impacting them and their communities, and the importance of preserving this resource. Todd described the importance of local media well, as it garners more trust because communities can fact-check it every day when they walk out the door.

This issue is more important to the business community than many may realize. The Rescissions Act of 2025, which will make significant cuts to public media, is now expected to be signed into law, and experts expect it may negatively impact civic engagement and voter turnout.

Northwestern University’s Medill School Senior Associate Dean Tim Franklin and Michigan State University Journalism Professor Tim Voss explained the crisis by the numbers.

They suggested that the decline of local news outlets, especially newspapers, has led to significant losses in experienced journalists and created news deserts, particularly in rural areas, which threatens civic engagement and increases risks of polarization and misinformation.

New estimates predict 10-20% of all public radio stations in the U.S. may shut down following the federal cuts, which will impact the most local and rural areas of our state and country.

“NPR is not going to go away; PBS is not going to go away; Detroit Public Radio and Media is not going to go away,” Franklin said. “Might they have to make cuts? Yes. But it’s the small, rural, and medium-sized markets across the country that are going to be really severely affected by this. Then it’s going to mean less local journalism across the U.S. as a result.”

“One of the things we know about declines in news coverage is that it is accompanied by low voter turnout,” Voss said. “Basically, Michigan [communities] have seen a sharp decline in journalism. However, as the amount of news produced declines, we should be concerned about lower civic engagement, lower voter turnout, increased polarization, and other problems.”

Rebuild Local Media’s Steve Waldman later took the stage to suggest public policy options as a more nontraditional approach to strengthening local media. Using other states’ bills and laws as examples, he said a “generation of policies is emerging at the state level, focusing on innovative approaches to support local news beyond traditional public broadcasting.”

While also acknowledging the complicated political environment, Waldman listed the top ideas that have worked in other parts of the country, and that business and government leaders can begin workshopping to strengthen Michigan’s public media.

• Employment tax credits, which provide a refundable tax credit to local news outlets based on the salaries paid to local journalists. New York and Illinois are using such credits to incentivize newsrooms with this financial support to hire more reporters.
• Journalism fellowships, like in Washington, New Mexico, and California, would also subsidize local journalists’ positions in local newsrooms statewide.
• More targeted state budget allocations can direct funds to more community-based media outlets. In New York state, a related policy resulted in significant financial support for local news organizations.
• A tax credit for small businesses that advertise in local media, which Waldman believes is the most viable option for Michigan. However, such efforts require the creation of a broad coalition led by small businesses along with the media.

Graham Media’s Catherine Badalamente, Real Times Media’s Hiram Jackson, Detroit Free Press’s Nicole Avery Nichols, and Michigan Public Media’s Wendy Turner, then shared how the local industry has rallied through collaboration over competition to ensure the Detroit Region’s communities are served through credible journalism and impactful storytelling.

Closing their conversation, the panelists discussed their organizations’ urgent problems to solve this calendar year, which include filling the federal funding gap, getting more reporters, more collaborations with fellow media, and giving readers and viewers tremendous value as customers.

Watch the full broadcast below and consider donating to support this critical institution today.