Rebuild Local News Releases Inaugural Annual Report, Showing Major Strides in State Action

Rebuild Local News released its inaugural annual report, offering the clearest picture yet of the coalition’s growing impact as the national leader in public policy for local news. The report captures a pivotal year of measurable progress, bipartisan breakthroughs and a maturing policy landscape that is gradually beginning to reverse the steep decline in local reporting capacity across the country.

Key Highlights

• • From 2020 to 2025, six states enacted legislation that channeled more than $129 million in public support to local reporters, driven by an estimated $9.2 million in philanthropic investment and advocacy by Rebuild Local News and other groups, demonstrating a remarkable 13‑to‑1 return on policy‑focused funding.
  • Launch of the Local Journalist Index, the first national measure of reporting capacity in every county, developed with Muck Rack.
  • Illinois implements the nation’s first refundable tax credit for local news employment, awarding more than $4 million that supported over 260 journalist jobs across 120 outlets.
  • For 2026, state and local policies are set to deliver $74 million so far in support for local news, with 15+ states preparing new proposals.

“There was a time when Rebuild Local News was one of the only voices insisting that public policy had to be part of the answer to the local news crisis. Now, it is a movement,” said Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News. “Roughly 15 states are considering new measures and six have already passed laws, a testament to the work of our coalition and the many allied groups driving this progress.”

Representing 54 member organizations, including local publishers, labor unions, civic groups and newsrooms, Rebuild Local News has evolved to meet the urgency of the moment. With local reporting capacity down more than 75 percent since 2002, the organization has expanded its role beyond policy development to include rigorous research, policy evaluation and long‑term coalition building to support and activate local groups.

The annual report documents how these advances – led by both Rebuild Local News and other local organizations – are reshaping the policy landscape. States such as Illinois, New Mexico, California and New Jersey are demonstrating how employment credits, small‑business advertising incentives, state‑funded fellowships and government advertising transparency can strengthen reporting capacity in communities of all sizes. Rebuild Local News helped inform several of these efforts by providing research, model language, targeted advocacy and local coalition‑building support.

“Rebuild Local News was instrumental in helping me pass three proposals to help save local news in Illinois,” said Illinois Sen. Steve Stadelman. “Their policy experts helped me craft language, and then they organized a coalition of stakeholders including newspapers, ethnic media, labor unions and nonprofits, to advocate for the bill. All three bills passed – and their expertise and support helped make it happen.”

A major milestone of the year was the launch of the Local Journalist Index, developed with Muck Rack. The report is the first national measure of actual reporting capacity in every county. The Index is already being used by funders, scholars and newsroom leaders to understand where coverage is disappearing and where policy interventions can have the greatest impact.

Tim Franklin, founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative, reflected on the Index’s impact as part of a rapidly shifting local news landscape.

“At a time when news deserts are widening and journalism is being transformed in front of our eyes, Rebuild Local News is providing an invaluable public service that meets this historic moment,” Franklin said. “Rebuild Local News is turning education into action, providing fact-based, bipartisan, trusted information to public policymakers and philanthropists in states from coast to coast.”

State and local policies passed in previous years are set to deliver $74 million in support for local news in 2026, and more than 15 states are pursuing new proposals this year. These efforts help ensure more residents in more communities have access to reliable, consistent local news and information, while laying the groundwork for a future federal push.

The report marks a turning point both for the coalition and for the field. Rebuild Local News is stepping fully into its role as the national engine for policy innovation, research and cross‑sector collaboration. As more states adopt legislation in support of local news, the path toward a stronger, more resilient information ecosystem is becoming clearer.

The work ahead is ambitious, but the opportunity is real. The next few years will shape the future of local news, and Rebuild Local News is building the foundation for what comes next.