News Media Corp. Shuts Down 31 Local Newspapers, Deepening “News Deserts” Across Midwest and West
On Thursday, August 7, 2025, dozens of communities across the Midwest and West were plunged into uncertainty as News Media Corp. (NMC), an Illinois-based publisher, announced the immediate closure of 31 of its local newspaper operations due to severe financial distress. This sudden decision impacts 14 publications in Wyoming, seven in Illinois, five in Arizona, four in South Dakota, and one in Nebraska, effectively shuttering what were often the sole sources of local news in numerous small towns and exacerbating the growing problem of “news deserts” in rural America.
Immediate Fallout: Hundreds Lose Jobs
The swift closure resulted in the termination of hundreds of employees, with initial estimates suggesting over 300 individuals lost their jobs without prior warning. J.J. Tompkins, CEO of News Media Corp., communicated the grim reality in a letter to staff on Wednesday, citing “financial challenges, a significant economic downturn impacting our industry, revenue losses and increasing expenses, and the recent failure of an attempt to sell the company as a going concern.” Tompkins assured employees of “reasonable efforts to pay all remaining compensation earned.”
Shockwaves in Newsrooms
The announcement sent shockwaves through the affected newsrooms. Benjamin Chase, managing editor of the Huron Plainsman in South Dakota, expressed widespread disbelief on social media, stating, “No one in Huron, nor any of the other papers, knew this was coming today. We’re all in shock and attempting to figure out how to move forward.” Josh Linehan, managing editor of the Brookings Register, another South Dakota paper now defunct, wrote a poignant letter to readers, acknowledging the tough times for print media but placing blame squarely on “poor corporate management.” News Media Corp. has yet to respond to requests for comment.
A Profound Void in Communities
The void left by these closures is profound. Brookings Mayor Ope Niemeyer, 65, lamented the loss of his city’s newspaper, calling it a “big hole” in the community of about 25,000 residents. Less than a year ago, Brookings also lost its local radio news, leaving the now-closed Brookings Register as the last bastion of local reporting. Mayor Niemeyer emphasized the critical role of the newspaper in fostering community conversations, disseminating legal notices for city and county boards, and serving generations who prefer print news over digital platforms. “It brings the community together,” he said, adding, “It’s an entity that’s going to be irreplaceable.”
A Decades-Long Crisis for Local Journalism
These closures are a stark reminder of a decades-long crisis facing local journalism. Data from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University reveals a staggering decline: since 2004, the U.S. has lost over one-third of its print newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists. Industry experts attribute this trend to a complex interplay of factors:
- The inherent unsustainability of the newspaper industry’s two-century-old business model in the modern digital age.
- The public’s increasing reluctance to pay for local news and insufficient subscriber rates.
- A broader erosion of social cohesion leading to fracturing and mistrust in news.
- The dual challenges of declining populations in many rural areas coupled with corporate ownership often detached from local operations.
A Call to Action for Communities
Teri Finneman, a professor at the University of Kansas’ journalism school and publisher of The Eudora Times, warned, “This really needs to be a wake-up call to every town in this nation that your newspaper could be at risk as well.” She stressed the urgent need for communities to actively support their local newspapers through subscriptions and advertising as the only viable path to preserve vital news coverage. In a small glimmer of hope, the Sioux Falls-based Dakota Scout newspaper announced Thursday its plans to expand coverage in Brookings in an effort to fill part of the void left by the recent closures, but the future of comprehensive local news in these now-silent communities remains precarious.
