Here's how many journalists cover Louisiana
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Louisiana has fewer local journalists than the U.S. average, according to an ambitious project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability.
Why it matters: Many American neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events.
Driving the news: About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, according to a new report from Muck Rack and the nonprofit Rebuild Local News.
By the numbers: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average.
- Louisiana, however, has an average of 7.6 LJEs.
Yes, but: The numbers improve for the metro areas covered by the state's largest newspaper group, Georges Media Group, which operates The Times-Picayune, The Advocate and its subsidiaries.
Between the lines: Low numbers of journalists aren't just spotted in rural areas.
- "If you're in a big city like Los Angeles, which has a mere 3.6 LJEs per 100,000 people, your neighborhood might be covered if there's a serious crime but not much else," per the report.
- "You may get little reliable information on local candidates in many of L.A. County's cities, whether the schools in your neighborhood are improving, whether the hospital nearby has a bad mortality rate, or how inspiring people might be working to repair your playground."
How it works: The findings are based on Muck Rack's data about journalists and media outlets nationwide as of Q1 2025, used to show reporters "most likely covering local communities."
- Among other steps, the authors adjusted the number of overall journalists in each county to account for part-timers, plus those who work for big-city outlets but sometimes cover suburban affairs.
- The result is the "local journalist equivalent" — a metric similar to "full-time equivalent," which accounts for part-time employees when measuring the size of a workforce. About the methodology.
What we're watching: A possible rebirth of print journalism.
- Axios' Sara Fischer has identified an industrywide print revival in the U.S. as publishers look for more ways to upsell jaded digital advertisers in the AI era. Go deeper.