Answer:
To better determine the impact that the loss of a local newspaper has on a community, researchers at UNC’s School of Media and Journalism have spent the past two years collecting additional information on the more than 9,000 local papers in our proprietary database. This analysis found an unrelenting loss of newspapers and readers since 2004 with troubling implications for thousands of communities. While there are entrepreneurs who are beginning to fill the void that is left in a community when a newspaper fails, much more needs to be done.