Salt Lake County has more local reporters than national average
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Salt Lake County has about 10 full-time local reporters for every 100,000 people, according to data from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit.
The big picture: Many Utah neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events.
By the numbers: About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per an ambitious new project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability.
- The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average.
The intrigue: Counties like Grand (64.1), Summit (61.2) and Garfield (37.8) have smaller populations, but far more journalists per 100,000 people than Salt Lake County.
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."