In this three-part series, we explore the decline in local news coverage across America. Host Dan LeDuc interviews journalism experts, travels to a “news desert” where the daily newspaper recently printed its last edition, and visits the newsroom of a paper that is bucking the trend and doubling down on its investment in community coverage.
Publisher of The Berkshire Eagle, Fred Rutberg (left), tells “After the Fact” podcast host Dan LeDuc stories behind some historic images from the local Massachusetts paper while photographer Dana Ullman captures the scene. A former judge, Rutberg, along with a few other residents, purchased the newspaper to keep local news alive.
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The local paper, The Berkshire Eagle, is still available in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, unlike in many “news deserts”—towns that no longer have a daily newspaper.
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A photo of a young Pittsfield, Massachusetts, resident in the town’s Fourth of July parade shows him with a copy of the local paper, The Berkshire Eagle. The photo hangs on the wall in the newsroom of The Eagle as a symbol of the paper’s commitment to keeping local news alive.
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“After the Fact” podcast host Dan LeDuc (right) chats with publisher Fred Rutberg and executive editor Kevin Moran (center) of The Berkshire Eagle in the warehouse where rolls of paper await newsprint. In the next room, the printing press will deliver the ink. While many local, daily newspapers have closed—more than 2,100 since 2004—The Eagle is investing in reporting local news to the communities it serves.
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Archives of the Waycross Journal-Herald dating to 1914 are stacked on a table in the Okefenokee Heritage Center in southeast Georgia. The century-old newspaper printed its final daily edition on Sept. 30, 2019, leaving behind a “news desert.”
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Former managing editor Gary Griffin reads through archives of the Waycross Journal-Herald in southeast Georgia. This edition from November 1963 reports the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The century-old newspaper printed its final daily edition on Sept. 30, 2019.
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Former managing editor Gary Griffin, right, and former columnist Larry Purdom show “After the Fact” host Dan LeDuc, center, archives of the Waycross Journal-Herald in southeast Georgia. Griffin points to an edition from November 1963, which reported the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Archives of the century-old newspaper are kept at the Okefenokee Heritage Center, which has an exhibit dedicated to the hometown paper, which printed its final daily edition on Sept. 30, 2019.
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The final daily edition of the hometown paper in Waycross, Georgia, the Waycross Journal-Herald, outside the Okefenokee Heritage Center. There, an exhibit dedicated to the Journal-Herald marks its 105-year legacy in southeast Georgia.
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The building where reporters and editors at the Waycross Journal-Herald pulled together local stories--—including births, accomplishments, and deaths, along with national, state, and vital community news—now sits empty. The century-old paper in Waycross, Georgia, printed its final daily edition on Sept. 30, 2019.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Welcome to “After the Fact,” a podcast from The Pew Charitable Trusts that brings you data and analysis on the issues that matter to you. Experts from Pew and other special guests discuss the numbers and trends shaping some of society’s biggest challenges, then go beyond the facts with nonpartisan analysis and action.
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