The Ohio Local News Project

Local newspapers have had a rich history in the United States, the earliest paper dating back to 1690. Local newspapers have been vital in building community identity and regional grassroots activism. They also contribute to regional economic growth by connecting community members with regional small businesses. They shape a community's policy decisions and give voice to local issues. With the increasing partisan bias in mainstream media, it is essential that communities have access to credible news that they trust.

Yet in Ohio, newspapers are disappearing each year. Using the University of North Carolina's Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media's Database of Newspapers, let's explore the change in the number of newspapers per county over these fifteen years.

A news desert is a community that is not covered by a newspaper. Let's examine the number of newspapers over time at the county level.

In 2004, 21 out of the 88 counties in Ohio had only one newspaper in the whole county. By 2019, that number rose to 41 counties...nearly 47%.

Out of the 104 newspapers that closed in this 15 year time period in Ohio, 77 were in metro counties while 27 were in non-metro. For instance, Cuyahoga County where Cleveland is located had 26 newspapers in 2004 and merely 5 by 2019.

From 2004-2019, 104 newspapers have shut down or been merged with another paper. By 2019, only Franklin county, an urban area, has more than 10 newspapers.