Lead type, dead type: New patterns of media production for local audiences

Newsprint is in trouble. Steep declines in circulation and advertising revenue have forced outright closures, reductions in force, cessation of print in favor of web only editions and frantic searches for new sources of revenue and audience. In this paper, we argue that local news presents a special case of news consumption. The audience for local news media is geographically defined. So too are the editorial concerns. To the extent local news organizations produce their own editorial content, their information may be less fungible than that presented in national papers. In this paper we report results from an interview study focused on the business milieu and everyday practices of local information production and consumption. We outline design opportunities for local news creation and distribution.