Financing the Fourth Estate: The Impact of Local Newspaper Ownership Type on Self-Reported Civic Engagement
Financing the Fourth Estate: The Impact of Local Newspaper Ownership Type on Self-Reported Civic Engagement
Roberta Fiorito (Ph.D. student), “Financing the Fourth Estate: The Impact of Local Newspaper Ownership Type on Self-Reported Civic Engagement,”research-in-program submission accepted for presentation in the Community Journalism division of the 2025 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, Chapel Hill, March.
Abstract: This study explores the connection between types of local newspaper ownership—private, public, private investment, nonprofit—and citizens’ self-reported levels of civic engagement. Previous studies investigating the impact of dwindling or absent local newspaper coverage—particularly with concern to those newspapers owned by private investment—have shown increased polarization, political corruption and municipal spending. My study intends to fill a research gap in journalism scholarship by addressing the effect of the types of companies that own local newspapers on the civic engagement levels of the communities those papers aim to serve at a time when local newspapers are facing their most dire crisis to date.
Related Research
-
IDOLSNeil Landau is co-Executive Producer on the live action feature film IDOLS that completed production in Spain and is currently in post-production. Warner Bros is distributing in November 2025.
-
BUFFALO KIDSNeil Landau’s most recent animated feature film BUFFALO KIDS was nominated for a Gaudi Award in Spain.