Now that readers have access to cheap or free news online and through social media, a question is asked more and more frequently: Why do I have to pay for news?
The short answer to that question is that if we don’t pay, then local journalism disappears. The long answer is to look at the places in America where that’s already happened.
As of 2026, 238 of the 3,144 counties in the United States are considered news deserts, according to Northwestern’s latest State of Local News report.
That means that they have no reliable, local form of journalism. Twenty years ago, this number was 150.
This stark increase is influenced by the digital age. Tech giants like Meta and Google are seen as cheaper and more effective for advertising than a local paper, so businesses want their ads there. Local journalism is then given what’s left, which isn’t always enough to keep newspapers alive.
This issue of losing local news is primarily prevalent in smaller communities, as 80% of news deserts are in counties designated as rural by the USDA.
Without funding, that number will only continue to grow.
That’s where we, as readers, come in. Local advertising revenue alone isn’t enough. It’s the community, all the readers that make it up, that can keep the newspaper afloat.
That line of thinking comes with another question: If it’s the community, why is it important for me specifically to pay?
If everyone in a community has that mindset of “I don’t have to because someone else will,” then there is no longer someone else. No one is paying because they’re assuming everyone else is, and they think that their individual voice doesn’t matter.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. You, as an individual, matter because you, as an individual, are a part of a community. A community that is covered by one source: your local paper.
Your local paper covers many things, all of which are necessary to keep communities informed:
• School board
• Local government and elections
• Your children’s sports
• Events
All of these topics covered by local journalism are representative of you. It’s you reflected on the page and it’s you who can ensure those pages continue to do so.
The words may be on the journalists’ papers, but the power is in your hands.
Dot Smith is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Kansas.
