Three years ago, we launched Folsom Times with a simple but urgent mission: to make sure Folsom would never become a news desert. We saw the trend overtaking town after town, where local newspapers — once the backbone of civic life — were collapsing under economic pressures, technological shifts and dwindling resources.
Today, the latest State of Local News 2025 report from Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative confirms what many communities are already feeling firsthand: the decline of local newspapers is accelerating, and the consequences are profound.
The data is stark. Since 2005, the United States has lost nearly 40 percent of its newspapers. Thousands of local papers have shut their doors, leaving millions of Americans without consistent access to original local reporting. In just this past year, another 130 print publications shut their doors, according to the Initiative’s report, and many more scaled back their staff, operations and products. Many counties now operate without a single physical ‘newsroom’ in their community regularly covering city halls, school boards, public safety or elections. These are not abstract statistics. They represent lost accountability, lost shared knowledge and lost community connection.
As newspapers disappear, news deserts continue to spread. Today, more than 200 counties across the country have no local news outlet at all, and many more are served by just one paper, often with limited staff and resources. Even in communities that technically still have a newspaper, coverage has been hollowed out by newsroom layoffs and shrinking budgets. Fewer reporters are being asked to do more, often covering multiple towns or entire regions with minimal support.
This erosion matters. When local journalism disappears, voter turnout drops. Government borrowing costs rise. Corruption becomes harder to detect. Misinformation fills the void. Simply put, when communities lose their local news, democracy itself weakens.
Folsom Times was created in direct response to this national collapse. We recognized that while print newspapers were continuing to decline, there was still a path forward for strong, independent local journalism — one built digitally, rooted in the community and operated by people who live here, care here and report here. Our goal was never to chase trends or replicate the failures of the past, but to build a sustainable local news resource that could serve Folsom day in and day out.
While print newspapers across the country have struggled to survive, Folsom Times has grown. We’ve expanded coverage of city government, public safety, education, business, entertainment and community events. We’ve documented moments of celebration and moments of crisis. We’ve held local institutions accountable while also highlighting the people and organizations that make this community stronger. Most importantly, we’ve remained locally owned and operated, free from outside control or distant corporate decision-making.
The State of Local News report also points to a critical reality: while digital startups are emerging across the country, most are concentrated in larger metropolitan areas, leaving smaller cities and suburban communities vulnerable. Growth in digital news alone does not guarantee coverage where it’s needed most. Local journalism only works when it is truly local — when it reflects the community it serves and is supported by that community in return.
Folsom Times exists because we believe local news is not a luxury. It is a public good. It is essential infrastructure for a healthy, informed community. At a time when thousands of newspapers have failed and countless communities have been left without a voice, Folsom has chosen a different path. It also exists and continues to grow because of you, the community, that continues to join us and support our mission each and everyday with your local advertising investment and readership.
Our continued growth is not accidental. It is the result of readers who care about what happens in their city, advertisers who understand the value of reaching a local audience, and a shared belief that Folsom deserves better than silence. While print newspapers continue to disappear nationwide, we remain committed to ensuring that this community stays informed, engaged and heard.
The decline of local newspapers is one of the most significant challenges facing American democracy today. But it is not inevitable everywhere. Folsom Times stands as proof that when a community invests in its own voice, local journalism can still thrive.
Bill Sullivan is the co-founder and managing publisher of Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC operated in Folsom, California.
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