Virginia news deserts doubled in recent years
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The number of "news deserts" in Virginia more than doubled between 2023 and 2025, per Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism's ongoing State of Local News project.
Why it matters: Newspapers owned by small, independent groups are rapidly shuttering compared to those owned by large companies, usually leaving largely rural areas without a source of news.
By the numbers: Since July 2024, Virginia has lost six independent newspapers to closure or merger, including the Independent-Messenger in Emporia and the News Progress in South Hill.
- As of last year, 16 Virginia counties didn't have a local news source. Another eight were at high risk of losing theirs.
- In 2023, just seven Virginia counties were in news deserts.
Meanwhile, nearly half of all Virginia localities — 64 — had only one local news source, including Goochland, Powhatan and Hanover, per Medill's 2025 State of Local News report.
- The local counties now without a dedicated news source include Caroline, Cumberland, Buckingham, Charles City and Prince George.
State of play: Virginia's media landscape continues to be dominated by newspapers.
- Of the state's 156 news outlets, 101 are newspapers.
- Comparatively, there are just 45 digital or network sites (Like Axios) covering local news across Virginia.
And newspapers, including the Lee Enterprise-owned Richmond Times-Dispatch, are increasingly scaling back on coverage while shedding staff.
- In September, the Times-Dispatch laid off five reporters, including the ones who covered Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover, The Richmonder reported.
The big picture: The rate of newspaper closures in the U.S. has increased over the past few years, thanks to economic challenges driven by the pandemic and subsequent advertising market volatility, Axios' Sara Fischer reported.
- But those closures are increasingly hitting ones owned by independent groups — often families or businesses invested in their local communities — harder.
- Half of the 136 newspaper closures in America between 2024 and late 2025 were independent, for-profit newspapers.
- By comparison, only eight newspapers owned by investment firms shuttered in the same time period.