n September, another Gallup survey found that almost 40 percent of all Americans—and a mere 14 percent of Republicans—have little or no trust that the media will “fully, accurately, and fairly” report the news.
Google, Facebook, and Amazon have grown to control nearly two-thirds of all digital ad revenue, accelerating the collapse of the business model for news. The number of newspapers has dropped precipitously, and many that remain have sharply cut jobs. Between 2004 and 2022, 2,511 newspapers (about 28 percent of the total in the United States) ceased publication, and more than 200 counties became “news deserts,” lacking any local paper. More than 44,000 newspaper jobs, or a stunning 58 percent of the total, have been lost since 2005. This has left many surviving papers hollowed out and unable to cover untold numbers of important stories or effectively play the watchdog role at planning boards, city halls, and state capitols.