Illinois lost 86% of journalists since 2005

Pat Nabong

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Chicago Sun Times

Since 2005, Illinois has lost 36% of its newspapers.

As newspapers continue to close across the country, Illinois has been particularly hard hit. The state has lost 86% of its journalists since 2005 — the highest percentage decline in the nation, according to the Medill State of Local News report released in October. Nationally, there was a 60% drop in newspaper journalist positions during that same period.

Illinois’ disproportionately larger number of newspaper job losses is because many of its news organizations are owned by corporate chains, Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, said at a presentation last month at the Field Foundation. Several of those corporations are all, or in part, controlled by private equity or hedge funds.

 

For rest of the story go to:  Illinois is hard hit by newspaper closures, study finds | STLPR

Illinois has lost 86% of its journalists since 2005

Pat Nabong

/

Chicago Sun Times

Since 2005, Illinois has lost 36% of its newspapers.

As newspapers continue to close across the country, Illinois has been particularly hard hit. The state has lost 86% of its journalists since 2005 — the highest percentage decline in the nation, according to the Medill State of Local News report released in October. Nationally, there was a 60% drop in newspaper journalist positions during that same period.

Illinois’ disproportionately larger number of newspaper job losses is because many of its news organizations are owned by corporate chains, Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, said at a presentation last month at the Field Foundation. Several of those corporations are all, or in part, controlled by private equity or hedge funds.

 

 

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