Name: The coronavirus has closed more than 50 local newsrooms across America. And counting. - Poynter
Brand: poynter.org
SKU: poynter-org-40
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

The coronavirus has closed more than 50 local newsrooms across America. And counting. - Poynter

preview

Category:This story was last updated on July 13In many places, it started with . . . Just to get through the crisis, newsroom leaders told readers.In some places, none of it was enough.Now, small newsrooms around the country, often more than 100 years old, often the only news source in those places, are closing under the weight of the coronavirus. Some report they’re merging with nearby publications. But that “merger” means the end of news dedicated to those communities, the evaporation of institutional knowledge and the loss of local jobs.At least 14 of the newsrooms now gone are owned by CNHI. Several are owned by Forum Communications Company. And a few are — were — owned by local families.Since 2004, about 1,800 newspapers have closed in the United States, Penny Abernathy reported in her . 1,700 are weeklies. The pace of closures, up till now, has been about 100 a year, said Abernathy, a professor at the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.“Between places switching to online only and those that are merging, this is a really sharp increase,” she said, “and not surprising either.”The pace might be faster, but Abernathy’s research shows a trend that’s still playing out in the middle of a pandemic — the newsrooms that are closing are mostly weeklies in small communities.“And when you lose a small daily or a weekly, you lose the journalist who was gonna show up at your school board meeting, your planning board meeting, your county commissioner meeting,” she said.Communities lose transparency and accountability. Then, she said, that taxes go up and voter participation goes down.Some of the places listed here grew up alongside their communities. The Journal-Express in Knoxville, Iowa, was founded by a Civil War veteran who was friends with Abraham Lincoln, the site (which now redirects visitors to a “Knoxville” page on the website of the nearby Oskaloosa Herald) reported. After The Edmond Sun started publishing in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1889, the nearby paper that’s now the Oklahoman “The Edmond Sun now shines on our table. It has come to drive the darkness from our neighboring city.” (That site has also disappeared, instead directing readers to The Norman Transcript website.)Some are newer, like the Waterbury Record in Vermont, which launched in 2007.“The Record has never been profitable, but we were in this for the long haul,” publisher Greg Popa . “We started publishing the paper in 2007 to fill a news desert in a community we felt was on the upswing.”Here, we’ve collected everything we’ve found about the local newsrooms we’ve lost because of the coronavirus. When possible, we’ve included clippings from that newsroom or about it. As many of the sites mentioned here are disappearing with no notice, we wanted to show they once did exist. We’re sure we missed some, please. Also, if you can make it to the end, you’ll see there are a few bright spots, too.RELATED:All but one of these are CNHI newsrooms. In the process of reporting this story, many of the sites and merger announcements have turned into 404s or begun automatically redirecting users to the websites of nearby publications. We’re linking so you can see the URLs, which are digital evidence of the disappearances.By the way, giving little notification about mergers isn’t an unusual tactic, Abernathy said, “for companies owned as investments and not as civic institutions.”Poynter reached out to CNHI for comment. We haven’t yet heard back.City: Jasper, FloridaFounded:Closed: Merged with the Valdosta Daily Times in Valdosta, Georgia, about 35 miles northwest, in of 2020.Owner: &nbsp;CNHICity: Live Oak, FloridaFounded:Closed: Merged with the Valdosta Daily Times in Valdosta, Georgia, about 45 miles northwest, in of 2020.Owner: &nbsp;CNHICity: Mayo, FloridaFounded:Closed: Merged with the Valdosta Daily Times in Valdosta, Georgia, about 60 miles north, in of 2020.Owner: &nbsp;CNHICity: Keota, IowaFounded: 1875Closed: Merged with The News-Review in Sigourney, Iowa, about 20 minutes west, on .Owner: &nbsp;Mid-America Publishing.“The Keota Eagle was established in 1875 by George C. Miller and has been serving the community of Keota, Iowa ever since. “City: Mineral Wells, IndianaFounded: 1900Closed: Merged with the Weatherford Democrat, about 30 minutes east, .Owner: &nbsp;CNHICity: Pella, IowaFounded: 1866Closed: Merged with The Oskaloosa Herald, about 20 minutes southeast, May 14.Owner: CNHIThe site has disappeared, but before it did, under history, it read: “Only one other business has operated in Pella under the same name longer than the Pella Chronicle.”City: Knoxville, IowaFounded: 1855Closed: Merged with The Oskaloosa Herald, about 30 minutes east, May 14, 2020.Owner: CNHIThe site has now disappeared. Before it did, it read: “The Journal was founded by William Milo Stone, a Civil War hero and friend of Abraham Lincoln, who went on to serve as governor of Iowa.”City: Centerville, IowaFounded: 1864Closed: Merged with Ottumwa Courier, less than an hour northeast, May 13, 2020Owner: CNHI“During its history, the Daily Iowegian has survived the rise and fall of the coal industry, depressions, wars, vast agricultural developments, years of industrial changes and shifting community fortunes.”Centerville Iowegian and Citizen, Feb. 26, 1960. (newspapers.com)City: Gardendale, AlabamaFounded: 1970Closed: Merged with the Cullman Times, 40 minutes north, on April 22, 2020Owner: CNHIThe site has disappeared along with the letter from the editor .City: Edmond, OklahomaFounded: 1889Closed: with The Norman Transcript, 45 minutes north, on May 6, 2020Owner: CNHIThe site has now disappeared. Before it did, it read: “On a hot July 18, 1889, The Edmond Sun premiered as a small four-page weekly in what was then a train refueling town.”The Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun on July 18,1889. (Newspapers.com)City: Zionsville, IndianaFounded: 1860Closed: with The Lebanon Reporter, 20 minutes northwest, May 12, 2020.Owner: CNHIThe site disappeared before we could pull any history from it.City: Morehead, KentuckyFounded:Closed: with The Daily Independent in Ashland, more than an hour west, on April 29, 2020.Owner: CNHIFrom the (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal, Aug. 24, 1973. (newspapers.com)City: Grayson, KentuckyFounded:Closed: with The Daily Independent in Ashland, about 30 minutes east, on April 29, 2020Owner: CNHICity: Grayson, KentuckyFounded: UnknownClosed: with The Daily Independent in Ashland, about 30 minutes east, on April 29, 2020Owner: CNHICity: Greenup, KentuckyFounded: 1870Closed: with The Daily Independent in Ashland, about 20 minutes southeast, on April 29, 2020Owner: CNHICity: Rushville, IndianaFounded:Closed: with the Greensburg Daily News in Greensburg, about 20 minutes south, in May 2020.Owner: CNHICity: Batesville, IndianaFounded: Around 1870Closed: with the Greensburg Daily News in Greensburg, about 20 minutes west, in May 2020.Owner: CNHICity: Eureka, NevadaFounded: 1870Closed: with The Ely Times, more than an hour east, in March of 2020Owner: Battle Born MediaFrom the Pioche (Nevada) Record, June 18, 1874. (newspapers.com)RELATED:City: Mount Vernon, IndianaFounded:Closed:Owner: Landmark Community Newspapers, Inc.“The Mount Vernon Democrat, since its creation in 1867, has been a place of employment in Posey County to many, many people. The newspaper was awarded the Hoosier State Press Association’s Blue Ribbon in 2005 and 2006, and was a runner-up in the 2008 contest.”City: Middletown, PennsylvaniaFounded: 1854Closed:Owner: Joe and Louise SukleThe final edition included this: This newspaper at its core is a family business. Five generations of grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, moms, dads, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters of the Fox, Graybill and Sukle families have worked here. We laughed together, argued together, celebrated together and cried together. Through good times and bad, we preserved our paper’s long tradition of providing independent journalism to this community. We leave behind a reputation for fearlessly speaking truth to power and a proud legacy of watchdog reporting that served all its citizens. We had high hopes our daughter, Julianna, would usher the family business into the future. That can no longer be. It will be our deepest regret.Screen shotCity: Chicago suburbsFounded: 2005Closed:Owner: 22nd Century Mediapublished the following 14 community newspapers in the Chicago suburbs: The Lake Forest Leader, The Glencoe Anchor, The Highland Park Landmark, The Northbrook Tower, The Wilmette Beacon, The Winnetka Current, The Glenview Lantern, The Homer Horizon, The Lockport Legend, The Mokena Messenger, The New Lenox Patriot, The Orland Park Prairie, The Tinley Junction, and The Frankfort Station.City: Payette, IdahoFounded: Early 1890sClosed:Owner: Wick CommunicationsCity: New Sharon, IowaFounded: UnknownClosed:Owner: &nbsp;Mid-America PublishingCity: Hendricks County, IndianaFounded: 1965Closed:Owner: &nbsp;CNHICity: Merkel, TexasFounded: 1890Closed:Owner: &nbsp;John Starbuck“It’s important to note that a newspaper like the Merkel Mail doesn’t have a huge newsroom. If you met John, you met the news staff.”City: Havre, MontanaFounded: 2018Closed:Owner: Paul Dragu and Teresa Webber Dragu“Idealism, a sense of purpose, lots of volunteer hours, opportune side gigs, and the backing of our wonderful supporters and advertisers got us this far. But then a pandemic hit, the world changed, and an upstart news organization’s uphill battle to sustainability became immensely steeper.”City: Belle, MissouriFounded:Closed:Owner: Tri-County NewspapersCity: Bland, MissouriFounded:Closed:Owner: Tri-County NewspapersFrom The Bland Courier, March 15, 1945. (newspapers.com)City: Vienna, MissouriFounded: UnknownClosed:Owner: Tri-County NewspapersCity: Hastings, MinnesotaFounded:Closed:Owner: Forum Communications CompanyCity: Woodbury and Cottage Grove, MinnesotaFounded: 1960s, we thinkClosed:Owner: Forum Communications CompanyCity: Two Harbors, MinnesotaFounded: At least 1822Closed:Owner: Forum Communications CompanyComposite, from the Minneapolis Star, July 13, 1927. (Newspapers.com)City: Eden Prairie, MinnesotaFounded: 1974Closed:Owner: Southwest News Media“The Eden Prairie News was founded by a group of Eden Prairie residents in 1974. They recognized that Eden Prairie would soon be a fast-growing suburb, and felt the community should have its own newspaper. They sold stock to get it off the ground.”City: Lake Minnetonka, MinnesotaFounded: 1995Closed:Owner: Southwest News MediaCity: Waterbury, VermontFounded: 2007Closed:Owner: Vermont Community Newspaper Group“The Record has never been profitable, but we were in this for the long haul. We started publishing the paper in 2007 to fill a news desert in a community we felt was on the upswing.”City: Mesquite, NevadaFounded: 2006Closed:Owner: Battle Born MediaCity: Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaFounded: 1844Closed:Owner: Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh“The capital to start the newspaper came from 78 founding subscribers who paid $5 each for a prepaid three-year subscription. After a subscription drive, some 600 people had paid $2 to take the paper for a year, even before the first issue was printed.”City: Cleveland, MississippiFounded: 1916Closed:Owner: Walls Newspapers“My grandfather used to say that a community gets the newspaper it is willing, or able, to pay for,” said owner Lee Walls. “I’m sure there are people and businesses in Bolivar County and Cleveland who are willing to pay for a local newspaper, through subscriptions and advertising, but history has taught me there are not enough.”City: San Diego, CaliforniaFounded: 1979Closed:Owner: McKinnon BroadcastingCity: Gunnison, UtahFounded: 2005Closed:Owner: Mark and Jodi Henline, sold to the Sanpete Messenger. No word yet on what’s next.RELATED:Several newsrooms or newsroom owners announced they were closing temporarily to get through the coronavirus. They include:While reporting this story, eight publications reported as closed were brought back to life. Here’s hoping this list gets longer.City: De Smet, South DakotaFounded:Closed:Reopened: as the Kingsbury Journal, a volunteer publication serving the De Smet News and Lake Preston Times communities.&nbsp;Owner: From Dale Blegen to The De Smet Development Corporation.City: Lake Preston, South DakotaFounded: 1881Closed:Reopened: as the Kingsbury Journal, a volunteer publication serving the De Smet News and Lake Preston Times communities.&nbsp;Owner: From Dale Blegen to The Lake Preston Development Corporation.City: Indianapolis, IndianaFounded: 1990Closed:Re-opened:Owner: Nuvo Cultural Foundation“The provider that hosts our website has designed a substantially lower cost package, which makes it possible for nuvo.net to continue.”City: Clinton, IndianaFounded: Before 1936Closed:Re-opened: Mid-MayOwner: From the Carey family“Our companies believe strongly in local names and local faces journalism. We plan to provide Vermillion County with a hometown newspaper they will proudly call their own.”City: Stanton, NebraskaFounded: 1879Closed: May, 2020Reopened: May, 2020Owner: From Dani and Brian Hadcock to“The newspaper was set to close May 6 due to an economic downturn during the novel COVID-19 era. Not wanting to see Stanton County lose its only newspaper, the Pitzers asked how they could help the community save its newspaper.”City: Burbank, CaliforniaFounded: 1985Closed: April 2020Reopened:Owner: California Times toCity: Glendale, CaliforniaFounded: 1905Closed: April 2020Reopened:Owner: California Times toCity: La Cañada, CaliforniaFounded: 1946Closed: April 2020Reopened: with La Cañada OutlookOwner: California Times to“We are thrilled to have acquired three iconic newspapers with deep roots and historic legacies in their respective communities.”While the titles live on, the Los Angeles Times that the 14 people who lost their jobs with those last three closures were not getting their jobs back.Correction: Olive Hill, Morehead and Grayson, Kentucky are east of Ashland, not west. It’s been corrected. We apologize for the error.Kristen Hare covers the business and people of local news for Poynter.org, is the editor of Locally and writes a weekly newsletter on the transformation of local news. You can subscribe. Kristen can be reached at khare@poynter.org or on Twitter atYou must be to post a comment.This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. .Featured JobsSearch Media Jobs

Category:This story was last updated on July 13In many places, it started with . . . Just to get through the crisis, newsroom leaders told readers.In some places, none of it was enough.Now, small newsrooms around the country, often more than 100 years old, often the only news source in those places, are closing under the weight of the coronavirus. Some report they’re merging with nearby publications. But that “merger” means the end of news dedicated to those communities, the evaporation of institutional knowledge and the loss of local jobs.At least 14 of the newsrooms now gone are owned by...

public

I teach critical skills for local news and work/life chemistry @Poynter, write obits for @TB_Times, author of 100 Things Tampa Bay, she/her, khare@poynter.org

Kristen Hare

School for journalism and democracy, with tweets by @itsren, @kristenhare, @TomWJones and @angelanfu. Contact: info@poynter.org / 727-821-9494

The coronavirus has closed more than 50 local newsrooms across America. And counting. - Poynter

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS