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Analysis

The year we see the future of local news won’t look like its past

December 27, 2023

Black woman in leather jacket speaking to a large audience in front of a presentation screen
ATLScoop, a local news site on Instagram where they post about everything from the mayor's policy on encampments for the city's unhoused to car break-in trends, has nearly 1 million followers. It and other social media-based news outlets are the future — and present — of local news and information.

In 2024, the journalism community will recognize just how different the future of local news is going to look compared with its past.

That future is already here. A recent Washington Post article reported on the swell of trained journalists and other content creators leveraging social media and messaging platforms to meet audiences where they are. The article also delved into the decline of trust, traffic, and advertising dollars to legacy media outlets, as readers under 35 search for news sources that “feel more relevant.”

This phenomenon is not new — it has just gone unrecognized. I felt like a voice crying in the wilderness when I penned a white paper in 2018 titled “The Rise of New Jacks: How They Got Here, Where They Are, And Where They Are Likely To Go Next” for the Gates Foundation, highlighting Flint Beat, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, and more.

Continue reading Tracie Powell’s 2024 Journalism Prediction for Nieman Lab.