Read this in-depth PEN America report Losing the News: The Decimation of Local News and the Search for Solutions, which lays out the devastating impact of the shrinking and consolidation of local news outlets. It includes a special focus and analysis on Detroit written by our Race and Justice Journalism Fellow Martina Guzmán.
"In Detroit, the local news crisis has exacerbated systemic inequality in media coverage and representation. Across the city, the population of which is more than 80 percent black, communities of color feel that pressing issues—from rampant development to water shutoffs—are not being covered critically or in-depth. In response, a new generation of minority-run, digital-native, and nonprofit outlets have emerged."