Local News is a broad category that encompasses all print and online media outlets, from large and small newspapers to radio stations and hyperlocal websites, that focus on covering stories in a specific geographical area. It also refers to professional journalism that reflects the perspectives of a local community and meets critical information needs in those communities.
As the industry consolidates, more and more of the locally owned news outlets are now part of a larger network that syndicates content and shares resources among its many different media properties. As a result, the resources for reporting on local issues can be diverted to other stories that may be of greater interest nationally or to support the company’s larger business interests. This can impact the depth and quality of local news coverage.
In the United States, local news is most often found in newspapers. Some have a large readership and are distributed to multiple towns and communities, but most have a smaller audience and serve one town or neighborhood in a metropolitan area. In addition, most newspapers are no longer locally-owned — they are owned by major media conglomerates that own other newspapers, broadcast television and digital news outlets across the country.
In some countries, local news is broadcast on a dedicated television channel or as a separate evening newscast. For example, in Norway, the local news is broadcast on SVT1 and on a short segment within the main national newscast called Aktuellt.
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