Local Journalism Under Private Equity Ownership
64 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2022 Last revised: 9 Apr 2022
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Local Journalism under Private Equity Ownership
Date Written: February 2022
Abstract
Local daily newspapers historically played an important role in U.S. democracy by providing citizens with information about local policy issues. In recent decades, local newspapers have struggled to compete with new online platforms. In the first study of private equity (PE) in a struggling industry, we find nuanced effects. PE leads to higher digital circulation and lower chances of newspaper exit. However, the composition of news shifts away from local governance, the number of reporters and editors falls, and participation in local elections declines. The results have implications for knowledge about local policy issues and highlight trade-offs surrounding media ownership.
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