“We know that when a local newspaper closes, it’s less likely that citizens in that area are turning out to vote, for example.”
“There is a lot of energy around nonprofit news… Sometimes nonprofits have more flexibility to engage in creative news gathering.”
On Inside Olympia, WSU journalism professor Jennifer Henrichsen described the scale and stakes of Washington’s local news crisis, drawing on findings from a sweeping new report she authored. Since 2005, the U.S. has lost a third of its newspapers. “Washington is also in a local news crisis,” Henrichsen said. “We found two counties that have no local news outlet, which means they’re classified as a news desert.”
Henrichsen’s team identified just 353 outlets statewide that produce original, locally relevant content, out of 1,092 surveyed. “We interviewed 32 civic leaders, journalists, and scholars about local news,” she said, while also conducting open-source research and outreach. Rural counties like Ferry and Skamania had no local coverage; but even some urban regions—adjusted for population—are underserved. “We need local news in order to bring us together,” she added. “It helps reduce political polarization.”
With public trust in media declining, Henrichsen emphasized the watchdog role of journalism. “Even just having the physical presence of a journalist in the room… can increase accountability.”
Funding remains a central concern. Henrichsen praised the Murrow News Fellowship, which placed 16 early-career reporters statewide and produced over 1,300 stories. But the program faces state budget cuts. “Local news really needs to be viewed as a public good,” she said, “like the roads we travel on or the water that we drink.”
She also supports proposals like the grant-based Washington Local News Sustainability Program, introduced but not passed during the 2025 legislative session, which would have taxed Big Tech to help fund journalism. “It’s a terrific idea,” she said, “and it could be complementary to something like the Murrow News Fellowship.”