Staff Cuts Shrink US Newspaper Political Coverage by Hundreds of Stories

Introduction:

Newspapers face massive economic pressures. Between 2007 and 2015 alone, the newspaper industry lost more than a third of its jobs nationwide.

Methodology & Context:

This study uses panel data from US newspapers during this period to examine how these reductions impact political coverage.

Key Findings:

• Economic constraints directly led to fewer political stories across most newspapers
• A typical staff reduction resulted in a 300–500 story decrease per year in political coverage
• Despite the decline, the share of newspaper articles on politics remained relatively stable

Implications:

These findings demonstrate that economic pressures significantly shape what citizens read about. The contraction in reporting capacity creates an uneven landscape for political information dissemination.