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When the local paper folds, who's left to cover the news?

Checking in with the remaining reporters in Val Verde County, Texas, three years after its last daily newspaper folded.
Del Rio, Texas, lost its daily newspaper in 2020. Media researchers have labeled Val Verde County, in which Del Rio is located, a "news desert." But that doesn't mean it's a complete vacuum of information.
David Brancaccio/Marketplace

How voters in a Texas news desert get their information

Researchers have labeled 204 counties in America as "news deserts" — places that lack access to credible, reliable news sources. That includes Val Verde County, Texas.
Del Rio is county seat of Val Verde County, Texas — one of more than 200 counties in the U.S. classified as a "news desert."
David Brancaccio/Marketplace

On their first date, this now-married couple decided to open a business

Dec 30, 2022
Aryn Henning Nichols and Benji Nichols run Inspire(d) magazine from Decorah, Iowa.
Benji Nichols and Aryn Henning Nichols of Decorah, Iowa.
Courtesy Aryn Henning Nichols/Silver Moon Photography

There's a new website publishing news stories in Texas. It's run by Chevron.

Aug 22, 2022
Chevron has been upfront about producing the site, but there are concerns it may be the only source of news for some in the area.
Screenshot

The failure of CNN+ could put a damper on big news organizations' attempts to innovate

Apr 25, 2022
The cable giant reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a service that will go dark after just a month online.
The cancellation of CNN's streaming platform CNN+ could have chilling effects on news innovation, both internally and at other outlets.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The demise of CNN+ is a missed opportunity for the future of video news

Apr 22, 2022
Broadcasters are navigating the transition from an audience raised on cable to an audience raised on TikTok.
CNN pulled the plug on its new streaming operation, CNN+. That's deprived the news industry of an opportunity to see what streamed television news could look like.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

BBC's funding system under fire amid viewership changes, Conservatives' hostility

Feb 1, 2022
Boris Johnson's government may scrap the national license fee that's funded the UK broadcaster for generations.
The BBC's primary revenue source, a compulsory annual fee paid by the British people, is  stirring vigorous opposition.
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Getting any work done? Election uncertainty drives distraction at work

Nov 5, 2020
The election has had a major effect on work productivity this year, with more people voting and paying attention to the results.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

News is a hard business. Now add millennials and Facebook. Yikes?

Dec 19, 2018
NowThis News has to navigate a lot of platforms to reach its viewers.
The NowThis newsroom in New York City.
NowThis

New rules limit equity seniors can take out of their homes in reverse mortgages

Oct 2, 2017
Starting today , it’s going to be harder for seniors to take out loans against the equity of their homes — what are known as reverse mortgages. New rules are taking effect that limit the size of the loans — loans that many rely on as an additional source of income. Instead of 64 percent […]