Editor and Publisher Reports

A new 10-minute survey is asking local journalists and news publishers to share their story and experiences as part of a project examining the health of local newspapers. The project is supported by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University and is seeking to find how local news is coping with COVID-19, corporate downsizing, concerns about  “fake news," mistrust in journalism, “news deserts,” and any and all factors influencing the local news publishing industry. This new study builds on the findings of earlier research performed by Tow in 2016-17, which shared lessons from the perspective of 420 journalists across the United States. By revisiting this earlier study, researchers hope to compare--and contrast--the experience of local journalists in late 2016 and mid-2020, while also highlighting the contemporary characteristics of today’s media landscape. Fundamental to the research is also the desire to hear and amplify the experiences of local journalists working on the frontline during ver