By Bob Sillick, Editor & Publisher
When the pandemic struck, news was as essential to the public as the most important household items they were panic-buying at stores or online. Although TV viewership increased, especially local channels, more Americans also reached for a newspaper in many markets.
An April 2020 Pew Research Center survey found 61 percent of respondents were accessing national and local news about the pandemic equally; however, 23 percent were more focused on local news, compared to 15 percent on national news. Half of all participants of a June 2020 Pew survey said local news sources reported the facts more accurately than all news media in general, or 44 percent.
By definition, a pandemic is global in scale, but many Americans relied on local news to provide community information of critical and personal importance.
Local Coronavirus Topics Adults 18+ Were Following “Very Closely” in Local News, April 2020
| Local Topic | Percent |
| State/Local government actions | 42% |
| Goods in local stores | 38% |
| Status of nearby schools | 30% |
| Status of nearby businesses | 29% |
| Availability of testing | 29% |
| Status of nearby hospitals | 28% |
| Availability of unemployment/aid | 25% |
Source: Pew Research Center, April 2020