The 2025 Medill State of Local News report, released in October, documents the sobering challenges that face local news outlets: the loss of 40% of newspapers in the past 20 years; a rise in “news deserts” with 50 million Americans – one in six – now having limited or no access to local news; continued business model challenges; and, new threats including attacks on the free press and the rise of artificial intelligence. 

But the report also calls out “Bright Spots,” shining examples of local news outlets that are serving audiences in innovative ways, building sustainable business models, and meeting people where they are to share news and information. 

Mackenzie Warren, executive director of the Medill’s Local News Initiative, spoke with the LMA Digital Club and identified a dozen themes that emerged from the Bright Spots report. These bright spots offer lessons all local news outlets can learn from as we seek to transform our operations, and to better serve and connect with our communities. 

  • Increasingly direct relationships between journalists and consumers
  • Journalists seeing that their role includes being engines of business growth, not solely engines of journalism
  • More authentic relationships through in-person events, meet-and-greets, and even coffee shops as business development opportunities
  • No sacred assumptions from the past. An openness to questioning why we do what we do, the way we do it.
  • At the same time, preserving the best of what has made local news historically strong and valued. The key is being able to differentiate and act decisively with insights about each. The Post and Courier is a case in point, leveraging its historic track record of accountability reporting to expand the markets it serves, and secure significant new funding for essential coverage. In Houston, The Chronicle is another example of a long-serving local paper that has reinvented itself for the digital age, preserving its strengths while better serving digital news consumers. 
  • Transforming operational efficiency so that an ever-greater percentage of available dollars goes toward original, local journalism. Deep South Today as an example. The Southeast Missourian has shown how the strategic use of artificial intelligence in news workflow can save time to enable reporters to do more of what they do best. 
  • Everyone is a fundraiser, everyone is a marketer. This can’t just be the job of one person at a news organization. Ken Doctor and the team at Lookout Local are a shining example. 
  • Niche is a discipline and a super-power. It can be parlayed into bigger, more sweeping coverage themes. Bike Portland is both one of the earliest and best examples of owning an audience vertical. 
  • Customer funnel, and segmentation within the customer funnel, are crucial to growth. The success of The Daily Memphian shows the power of strategic audience development for business sustainability. 
  • Diversify revenue: Don’t overly rely on any one single revenue stream. The Daily Herald illustrates the power of diversified revenue streams. 
  • Fun and passion is another way to fuel success and sustainability, as demonstrated by RedBankGreen.
  • Local news is no longer a monopoly. It now functions much more like a retail business, and therefore depends on successfully building personal, direct relationships with customers.

These themes across local news Bright Spots offer a roadmap of practices that all local news outlets can adapt and adopt in order to build sustainable business models and better serve their communities. 

For more information:

  • Read the full Bright Spots report, including deep-dive profiles of each of the featured newsrooms. 

Read the full Medill 2025 State of Local News report.