Newspapers in the United States closed at the rate of more than two per week during 2023, but a burst of activity among digital entrepreneurs illustrated some tiny shoots of growth in what has become a desert-like climate for local news.
A total of 127 newspapers closed last year, while the 81 digital sites gained was the most in any year since the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University began measuring that activity in 2018, and possibly the most ever.
“It shows that there are some entrepreneurs and innovators out there,” said Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative.
One caution: digital news is still an area with a lot of churn. There were actually 212 new sites that started last year, including 30 that were former newspapers that converted to digital only, while 131 closed, making for the net gain of 81.
The big picture also remains ominous, as few of the factors that have led to the decimation of the local news industry have really changed. Advertisers and readers are still slipping away. More than 3,200 newspapers have closed since 2005, leaving roughly 5,600 remaining, Medill said. Nearly 2,000 newsroom jobs were lost in the last year alone.
“The local news crisis is snowballing,” Franklin said. “We see it in the expansion of news deserts, the unrelenting pace of closures and the loss of newspaper jobs.”
The list includes the Hinton Times in northwest Iowa, which closed after 28 years when its owners retired; the Northland Press outside of Brainerd, Minnesota, which ended after the death of its publisher; and the Tioga Tribune in North Dakota, whose editor left town.
Of the new digital sites, some 90 percent are located in metropolitan areas, servicing communities that had been seeing less coverage because of job losses at larger news outlets. In the Chicago area where Northwestern is located, Block Club Chicago offers hyper-local coverage to nearly two dozen neighborhoods, The TRiiBE is geared to young, professional Black residents and the Cicero Independiente reaches Latino consumers.
While that’s good news for those communities, there’s still an urgent need for news in rural areas, the report said. Using a metric that takes into account poverty and areas with only one news outlet, Medill placed 279 counties on its “watch list” of those at risk of losing local news altogether. That’s up 22 percent from the previous year.
Medill also noticed an increased pace in newspapers changing ownership — 258 in 2023 compared to 180 the year before. A number of smaller companies are more active in acquiring papers, as opposed to a large chain like Gannett, leading to growth in companies like the Carpenter Media Group in Farmville, Virginia.
More of the digital start-ups that have opened in the past few years are nonprofit instead of profit businesses, said Zach Metzger, director of the Medill State of Local News Project. That eliminates the expense of printing and distributing newspapers, while offering greater flexibility in funding sources, he said.
Week 6 is on the horizon for the Florida High School Athletic Association football season, and that means one thing for a majority of teams: district play begins, and the playoff picture starts to become more and more clear.
On the eve of district play, several teams found success last weekend. Some of those teams continued hot streaks – including Jay and Tate, both remaining undefeated; and Booker T. Washington, now on a three-game win streak – while others got a rebound win, including Pensacola Catholic and Navarre.
Pensacola Catholic stays on top as the area’s best team in the poll, following a shutout of Pine Forest. Jay jumped up in the ranking, while a couple notable teams dropped – that’s always expected as the season gets going.
Here’s the latest PNJ Power Poll heading into Week 6 of the Florida high school football season.
1. Pensacola Catholic (3-1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Week 5 result: 23-0 win vs. Pine Forest
Week 6 game: 7:30 p.m. on Friday vs. Freeport
Coming off a tough loss to Montgomery Catholic (Ala.), the Crusaders got a big win over Pine Forest. The defense was flying all over the field, allowing less than 50 yards of total offense and recording a pair of interceptions. The Crusaders showed why they continue to be a top team in the area, and will look to continue that against a Freeport team that’s taken some bigger losses this season. Expect the run game to be in full force against the Bulldogs, who have allowed over 1,000 yards rushing this season.
2. Tate (5-0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Week 5 result: 42-7 win at West Florida
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Thursday vs. Navarre
The Aggies got back to another dominating win over the Jaguars, continuing to show off the high-powered offense that Tate boasted over the first couple weeks of the season. It was another well-balanced attack against West Florida, and Tate’s offense should be effective against the Raiders’ defense. Plus a strong Aggie defense against the run game might plague Navarre.
3. Pace (3-1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Week 5 result: 42-13 win at Andalusia (Ala.)
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday at Crestview
Pace continues to pile on the points after suffering a tough loss against Pensacola Catholic. The Patriots have posted 97 points in two games, with Ben Tyner finding his groove at quarterback last week, throwing for 171 yards. Makael Williams also had a strong performance with 145 yards rushing. The duo combined for all six touchdowns. The Patriots kick off their district schedule against Crestview, which is coming off back-to-back losses against Choctaw and Niceville.
4. Jay (5-0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Week 5 result: 23-13 win vs. Chipley
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday at Flomaton (Ala.)
It’s surely a winning feeling in Jay. Head coach Brian Watson said the team’s shutout over Baker was for the community in the War on Highway 4. But the win over Chipley was to prove that the Royals aren’t to be taken lightly. Hayden Morris proved his value as a dual-threat quarterback, throwing for 68 yards and rushing for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The run game has been working against most opponents. The defense surrendered more than one touchdown for the first time this season. Jay crosses the border to face a struggling Flomaton squad that hasn’t won since the end of August.
5. Escambia (2-2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Week 5 result: 38-13 loss at Mosley
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday at Booker T. Washington
Escambia has gone up and down all season long so far, and if you just look at the Gators’ schedule, it’s relatively easy to understand why. Escambia topped a struggling West Florida team and overcame some self-inflicted wounds against Bay in Weeks 1 and 3. But had a tough time against undefeated powers in Niceville and Mosley. Now, the Gators start district play and will look to air it out against a younger Booker T. Washington squad in the secondary. Nino Freeman had 140 yards in the air with a touchdown, and will look to continue the strong play.
6. Pensacola (2-2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 7
Week 5 result: Bye
Week6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday vs. Bay
Fresh off a bye week, it’s been a season to remember so far for Pensacola, winning a pair of games for the first time since 2018. AG Floyd has found his way through a couple defenses. Now the Tigers will go against their first district foe that has had a tough couple games, including an overtime loss to Escambia. Bay allowed 300-plus yards rushing last week against Madison County. Can Floyd, among others, exploit that same defense?
7. Pine Forest (2-3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Week 5 result: 23-0 loss at Pensacola Catholic
Week 6 game: Bye
Pine Forest is taking its bye week during Week 6 after a tough outing at Pensacola Catholic, where the Eagles were shut out for the first time since Nov. 6, 2020, when they lost to West Florida. For the most part, it wasn’t Pine Forest’s defense that was the problem, able to limit a strong pass game from Pensacola Catholic. The young offense just couldn’t get anything going, resulting in some long-down situations against a Crusader defense that made the Eagles pay. Week 6 looks like it might be a good reset for Pine Forest.
8. Navarre (1-3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Week 5 result: 15-13 win vs. Milton
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Thursday at Tate
Navarre picked up its first win Oct. 27, 2023, when the Raiders beat Gulf Breeze in overtime during the Beach Bowl. It’s a much different Navarre roster this year, however, and the defense pulled out a big win over Milton when Andre Spence forced a fumble at the Raider 1-yard line to prevent the Panthers from scoring. Navarre will need an equally strong defense to go up against Tate’s offense, which has been able to exploit defenses both in the air and on the ground, especially between Demorion Clay Jr. and Carson Secchiari.
9. Booker T. Washington (3-2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 10
Week 5 result: 16-6 win at Gulf Breeze
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday vs. Escambia
Booker T. Washington has won three consecutive games for the first time since 2019, when the Wildcats won eight consecutive games to start that year. Booker T. has a younger team that’s battled through the gauntlet the last few games, and the schedule only gets tougher with a home game against Escambia. The Booker T. defense will need to stand strong against the Gators’ run game, while trying to drain plenty of clock in the Wildcats’ own run game.
10. Gulf Breeze (1-3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 8
Week 5 result: 16-6 loss vs. Booker T. Washington
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday at Niceville
Facing the injury bug, the Dolphins have had a tough go at it since their dramatic Week 1 victory against South Walton. Finally snapping a scoreless streak against Booker T. Washington, Gulf Breeze now faces its toughest team yet: Niceville, which is undefeated and one of the top teams in the state. The Gulf Breeze defense is going to have to block a by-committee run offense that the Eagles boast, and it might just be too much to handle for a young Dolphin squad.
11. Northview (2-3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 11
Week 5 result: 34-27 loss at Holmes County
Week 6 game: 7 p.m. on Friday vs. Escambia County (Ala.)
Similar to Escambia, Northview has had an up and down handful of weeks as a newer roster tries to work through the 2024 season against some tough opponents. Most recently, Holmes County, ranked ninth in the rural classification, was on the docket. But Northview was right there, going toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the Panhandle. The Chiefs host Escambia County (Ala.), which has had a few tough losses the last three weeks. The Blue Devils gave up over 340 yards of offense. Can Northview crack the code this week?
12. West Florida (1-4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 12
Week 5 result: 42-7 loss vs. Tate
Week 6 game: Bye
Now on a three game losing streak, West Florida enters Week 6 with a week to reset on a bye. The Jaguars have given up 40-plus points in their last two losses with their younger defense. West Florida has a week now to work on its primary run game, the option run, to go against Gulf Breeze in Week 7 that has a pretty strong run-game defense up front between players like Kade Rollins, Anthony Lee and Noah Perez.
13. Milton (0-5)
Last week’s ranking: No. 13
Week 5 result: 15-13 loss at Navarre
Week 6 game: 7:30 p.m. on Friday vs. Mosley
So close, yet so far. Milton came within striking distance to take a late lead over Navarre, but a fumble prevented the Panthers from finding the win column over the Raiders. Now, it’s an even tougher test going against undefeated Mosley this week for a district contest. None of the Dolphins’ games have been all that close, averaging 43 points a game. The Panthers have played in a handful of close defensive battles, and need their defense to step up to have a chance.
14. Central (0-3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 14
Week 5 result: Bye
Week 6 game: 6 p.m. on Saturday at Rocky Bayou Christian
The newest team to Santa Rosa County is coming off an originally unplanned bye week, with the Jaguars initially slated to play Graceville before the latter canceled its season. Now Central has a weekend affair on Saturday at Rocky Bayou Christian, which has lost its last two games. This could be a tight contest on Saturday if Central can keep up on offense.
