A third of large, high-circulation U.S. newspapers made layoffs in 2020, according to a new study released Friday (May 21) by the Pew Research Center.
The study found that number is up from 2019, The Hill (Washington, D.C.) reported. In 2019, about a quarter of newspapers with the same circulation made layoffs.
Pew surveyed 86 newspapers with an average Sunday circulation of at least 50,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019, as well as layoffs at The Wall Street Journal and 45 local digital news outlets, all of which had an average monthly unique visitation of at least 10 million during the same time period.
The study found that the COVID-19 (Chinese Communist virus) epidemic played a role in the layoffs in 2020. However, large newspapers had more layoffs than smaller publications.
In 2019, major newspapers had also laid off employees. However, the study found that in 2020, more than half of the layoffs came from large newspapers, those with a Sunday circulation of more than 250,000 copies.
Pew estimates that it may be the federal government’s epidemic relief program that is making the difference.
The authors of the study wrote, “During the coronavirus (CCA) epidemic, many small and medium-sized newspaper companies were able to apply for federal assistance through the CARES Act. This is a federal outbreak assistance program designed to help small businesses pay for employee salaries and other expenses.” “However, many local newspapers owned by large companies such as Gannett or McClatchy were not eligible to apply because of regulations associated with this loan program.”
In addition, the Pew Research Center found that 1 in 10 newspapers experienced multiple rounds of layoffs in the last year, and that almost half of the newspapers made layoffs both in 2020 and 2019.
This recent Pew study sheds further light on the continued decline of local journalism in recent years.
In a study last year, the Pew Research Center found that U.S. newspapers have lost half of their editorial staff since 2008.
A 2020 report by the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Hussman School of Journalism and Media found that since 2004, the U.S. has lost 2,100 publications and a quarter of newspapers, including 70 daily newspapers and more than 2,000 weekly or non-daily newspapers.
Research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that the demise of local newspapers has not only contributed to a lack of local news coverage, but has also led to a polarization of the American electorate.
A recent study by the MIT Sloan School of Management found that as newspapers provide less and less coverage of local content, voters are less likely to split their votes equally in elections.
Charles Angelucci, one of the authors of the MIT study, said the increase in the number of people voting for one party (straight ticket voting) will in turn lead to a more polarized electorate.
Today, it’s likely that if two people disagree about their favorite presidential candidate, they will also disagree about their favorite local politician,” Angelucci said. More voters voting for one party is another sign of greater polarization.”
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