Universal Access? Investigating News Deserts in the American Public Media System

Abstract

In recent years, scholars, journalists, and policymakers have suggested a robust public media system as a possible solution to the growing local news deserts in the United States. However, to date, the American public media system remains largely understudied and insufficiently understood as a source for local news and information. The present exploratory study aims to provide a systemic overview of the existing public media system in the United States by approximating both the spatial reach of the current system and its capacity to provide local journalism. This analysis uses a geospatial mapping methodology to assess the provision of local journalism throughout the national network, illuminating resource disparities across the system. Findings indicate the existence of news deserts within the American public media system, thus introducing the concept of a public media news desert. The article concludes with recommendations for future scholarship and actionable takeaways to build greater journalism capacity within the existing system.