State of the News Media (Project)

Data and trends about key sectors in the U.S. news media industry

Local newspapers have been hit particularly hard by the transition to digital news consumption in recent years, with many forced to shutter their doors permanently.

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

We’ve updated our series of fact sheets on the U.S. news media industry. Here are some key findings about the state of the industry in 2020.

While newspapers have seen steep job losses from 2008 to 2020, digital-native news organizations have seen considerable gains.

Among the six publicly traded newspaper companies studied, second-quarter advertising revenue fell by a median of 42% year over year.

Though this figure is a sliver of all PPP loans lent out to small businesses as of August, it represents a large segment of U.S. newspaper companies.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, here are five charts that show how people globally see the freedom of the press.

While U.S. Democrats turn to a variety of outlets for political news, no source comes close to matching the appeal of Fox News for Republicans.

Newspaper circulation in the U.S. reached its lowest level since 1940, and the audience for local TV news has steadily declined.

Nearly as many U.S. adults prefer to get local news online as through a TV set. And while Americans prize community connection from their local news providers, they are largely unaware of the financial challenges they face.