Mapped: The state of local news in Minnesota
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All 87 Minnesota counties have at least one local news outlet, and most have two or more, according to a new report from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.
Why it matters: Even with closures and consolidations, the state has been able to stave off complete "news deserts" so far.
The big picture: An uptick in newspaper closures this year has left more than half of the nation's 3,143 counties — or 55 million people — with just one or no local news sources where they live, the report found.
- The U.S. saw 127 newspapers close in the last year at a rate of roughly two and a half per week.
State of play: Minnesota hasn't fully escaped the trend. Six long-running community media outlets in Twin Cities suburbs folded in April.
- Sister newspapers in Hutchinson and Litchfield were also shut down by MediaNews Group, a Denver-based company owned by Alden Global Capital.
Threat level: Close to two dozen Minnesota counties, including Carver and Scott in the metro, are served by only one local news outlet, per Medill's report.
- Just one — Mahnomen, in the northwestern corner of the state — is on the researchers' "watch list" of counties at risk of becoming a news desert.
The fine print: The analysis counts community newspapers, standalone digital sites, ethnic outlets and public broadcasting, but not local TV or radio.
- Regional/statewide publications like the Star Tribune and Axios Twin Cities are counted in the county where they're located, even if their coverage serves readers outside that area.
The silver lining: A significant increase in philanthropic funding for local news over the last year has given rise to more digital local news sites across the country, offering researchers a glimmer of hope for the future.
Zoom in: The Twin Cities has seen a number of new outlets fueled by large and small donors enter the scene in recent years, including Sahan Journal, Southwest Voices and Racket.
- A group of civic leaders in Woodbury is in the process of launching a hyperlocal site modeled after the west metro's Eden Prairie Local News.
Zoom out: The Star Tribune, the state's largest news outlet, has also sought to fill the gap, putting a renewed focus on covering the entire state.
- Earlier this year, it announced the hiring of several Greater Minnesota columnists as it rebranded itself as the Minnesota Star Tribune.
- Last week, the publication announced new partnership through Google that will include content sharing, subscription bundling and training opportunities with local newsrooms across the state.
The bottom line: Cuts to local news often have a lasting effect: Most counties that lose a newspaper are unlikely to see a replacement, even though there are more new digital local news sites than ever.
Go deeper: Most U.S. counties have little to no local news sources