For the third consecutive year, researchers at Northwestern University's Medill School have surveyed how people in one of America's most diverse media markets consume local news. The result is a growing body of research that many news leaders now view as a bellwether for national trends. This year's findings paint a complicated picture: Americans continue to value local journalism, but convincing them to financially support it remains one of the industry's greatest challenges.
During this episode of E&P Reports, Tim Franklin and Dr. Stephanie Edgerly unpacked the findings of The Third Annual Medill Survey: How the Chicago Area Gets Its News, explaining what three years of consistent audience data reveal about the future of local journalism.
Demand remains strong, but subscriptions remain elusive
One of the survey's most encouraging findings is that local news continues to play a meaningful role in people's lives. More than half of respondents said they consume local news every day, while 85% engage with it at least weekly. Yet those encouraging audience numbers stand in stark contrast to consumers' willingness to financially support local journalism.
Franklin called the decline in paying subscribers one of the industry's most pressing concerns. "I am concerned that there's a ceiling in the percentage of households that will pay for local news," he said, noting that news organizations have increasingly shifted from advertising-driven business models to reader revenue. He pointed to subscription fatigue, with consumers already paying for multiple streaming services, while also acknowledging that the news industry conditioned audiences decades ago to expect online news for free.
Still, Franklin believes there is reason for cautious optimism. Even if only 14% of households are willing to pay, he argued, "you can still build a pretty robust news organization from even a 14% base level" if those subscribers are loyal and engaged.
Edgerly described the numbers as both encouraging and frustrating. "Clearly people see value in local news. Clearly they are inviting it into their daily lives," she said. But she admitted she was surprised that 61% of respondents now believe no one should have to pay for local news, up from 51% just two years ago. "So what do you do with being a newsroom where clearly people are engaged and see value with local news, but they don't think people should have to pay for it?"
Television faces its own digital disruption
While newspapers have spent years transforming themselves into digital-first organizations, Franklin believes television broadcasters are only now confronting the same disruption.
"If I was a local television news general manager looking at these survey results, I would be very concerned," he said. Newspaper publishers, on the other hand, should be encouraged that audiences recognize and use their digital products.
The survey found that local television is losing viewers not only on traditional television sets but also failing to attract them to station websites and digital platforms. "That is really worrying," Franklin said.
He believes television now faces many of the same challenges newspapers confronted years ago. "The disruption that hit local newspapers is now hitting local TV news in a relatively big way."
Proceed carefully with AI
Artificial intelligence represented one of the survey's newest areas of focus, and the results revealed widespread skepticism among consumers.
Edgerly said respondents were uncomfortable with AI writing stories, creating images or determining editorial priorities. While some newsroom leaders may view AI as a potential solution to financial pressures, audiences are not yet convinced.
"What does this mean for newsrooms? Tread very carefully," she advised.
Rather than quietly implementing AI tools, Edgerly encouraged publishers to educate audiences about exactly how they're being used. "You have to teach your audience about what this means," she said, suggesting news organizations produce videos explaining their AI workflows, safeguards and human oversight. "You really do have to be a teacher in this respect because people's default assumptions are very negative."
Trust remains local journalism's greatest asset
Despite declining trust in national media, the Medill survey continues to show that local journalism occupies a different place in consumers' minds.
"It drives me crazy when people lump the news media into one big blob," Franklin said. Instead, the survey consistently finds that a majority of consumers continue to trust local news organizations significantly more than national outlets.
Franklin believes local publishers should emphasize that advantage even more aggressively. "That is one of the greatest assets that local news organizations have these days," he said, pointing to community relationships, newsletters, events and direct engagement as competitive advantages that national media simply cannot replicate.
Meeting audiences where they are
Asked for her single biggest takeaway after three years of research, Edgerly didn't hesitate.
"I think investing in video and how people are using their phones," she said.
She encouraged publishers to rethink how stories are produced for mobile devices rather than traditional television screens, noting that changing consumer behavior demands new storytelling approaches. Local television stations, she observed, already possess a significant advantage because they are experienced visual storytellers.
Franklin concluded with what he considers the report's central lesson. Consumers are not abandoning local news—they're changing how they access it.
"They're still consuming local news but in different ways than they have before," he said. "It's critical that publishers and news leaders stay on top of these trends because if you don't move with them, the business could be at risk."
Yet he returned to the statistic that offers hope for the industry. "There is a high demand for original, unique local reporting," stated Franklin. For publishers searching for reasons to remain optimistic, that may be the report's most important finding of all.
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