Illinois has been harder hit by newsroom unemployment than any other state.
Since 2005, Illinois has lost 86% of its journalists, versus 60% nationwide, according to Mediapost citing a breakout from the Medill State of Local News, a report issued in October.
Observers blame the fact that many of its news organizations are owned by corporate chains, according to WBEZ Chicago,
“Those ownership groups have been especially aggressive about cutting costs, especially Tribune-owned Alden Global Capital,” said Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, during a recent presentation,
One bright spot is the passage in May of a bill that will provide g $25 million in tax credits to local news organizations over five years. The law, which takes effect in 2025 is “hugely significant and a major step in the right direction,” Franklin said.
“Is it going to fix the local news crisis in Illinois?” Franklin asked. “No. But could those tax credits help preserve some local news coverage in Illinois for residents? Yes. Could it help provide a runway to give some local news outlets time to figure out a new model? Yes. And for some smaller local news outlets, these tax credits could even be a temporary lifeline.”
Illinois and New York are the only states to offer tax credits to support local news outlets, WBEZ continues.
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