No sector of the New England economy has lost more jobs.
Job loss strikes at the heart of our homes and communities and the heroic work of media companies, especially small, independent publishers cannot stem the erosion of stable jobs, trust in our institutions, and economic opportunity in our towns.
The numbers tell the story.
The rise of social media and digital information channels, an influencer culture where charisma beats training and fact checks aren’t rewarded, the gutting of revenue streams as costs have risen became overwhelming by the year 2000. Since then, the job loss and the loss of labor compensation has accelerated year over year with a loss of nearly 80% of the total jobs in journalism.
Source: Local News Initiative Database
A dramatic decline.
By the end of 2024, over a third of the country’s newspapers will have shut down - an average of 2.5 per week. Dailies have become weeklies; weeklies monthlies; one-third of U.S. newspapers will have been shuttered entirely since 2005. In New England, over 150 weekly newspapers have closed since 2014. Others have reduced the number of days they publish, laid off staff, outsourced content, or gone partly or fully digital. Circulation is plummeting: In Maine alone, readership has fallen by more than 50%.
No sector of the New England economy has lost more jobs.
“Working with Journalism New England on VTDigger’s strategic planning process is already proving transformative. Their thoughtful facilitation is helping our team dive deep into our data as well as step back and evaluate our mission with clarity. JNE’s understanding of the unique challenges facing newsrooms means this work is grounded in industry-specific factors and practicality. We’re developing a roadmap that reflects our values, engages our board and staff, and positions VTDigger to thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape.”
