A survey of Chicago news consumers shows Gen Z is tuning out local news

This article was originally published by Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative and is republished here with permission. This text was adapted from the introduction of a report on how Chicago-area residents consume local news. 

The relationship between the news business and consumers of news is breaking down and reforming at a dizzying pace as digital technology gives audiences new ways to engage with information.

Certainly, every journalism era is transformational. Newspaper domination gave way to radio and broadcast television, followed by cable TV with its 24-hour news cycle. Each sea change created financial winners and losers for both the national and local news ecosystems.

The digital era is even more disruptive to legacy journalism because smartphones and social media put information choices — and information creation — in the hands of each consumer. The great gatekeepers of journalism must compete for attention and revenue with myriad other options, from websites and podcasts to TikTok users and individual Substack writers. The results have been catastrophic for the news business, especially print publications, as audiences scatter. TV news is now under the same pressure. All must adapt or fall further behind.