How My Local Press Is Giving Independent Journalists a Voice on Science That Affects Your Community

When half of America's local newspapers shuttered over the past two decades, something more than ink and paper was lost — communities lost the reporters who translated complex scientific developments into stories that mattered to their neighbors.

According to research by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, more than 50% of local newspapers in the United States have closed since 2004, leaving thousands of communities without dedicated local coverage. In the vacuum left behind, stories about water quality, air pollution, agricultural science, public health outbreaks, and environmental change often go untold — or worse, get drowned out by national narratives that miss the local impact entirely.

My Local Press is changing that.

The platform is designed to empower independent, community-based journalists with the tools and reach they need to bring science coverage back to the neighborhoods, towns, and regions that need it most. Whether it's a freelance reporter documenting the effects of a new industrial facility on a rural watershed, a citizen journalist tracking air quality data in an urban neighborhood, or a local writer explaining how a global climate study connects to the flooding on Main Street — My Local Press provides the platform to publish, share, and be heard.

"Scientific literacy starts locally," said one independent journalist using the platform. "When people can see how a discovery or a development directly affects their town, their school, their drinking water — that's when science stops being abstract and starts being real."

The stakes are high. Communities without local science journalism are more vulnerable to misinformation, less equipped to engage with local government on environmental and public health decisions, and less likely to advocate for evidence-based policy. My Local Press addresses this gap by removing the barriers that once stood between independent reporters and their audiences.

For independent journalists, the platform offers a straightforward publishing workflow, local audience targeting, and a growing community of readers hungry for credible, community-rooted reporting. There are no gatekeepers, no corporate editorial mandates — just reporters and the stories their communities deserve to read.

As scientific issues — from climate change and pandemic preparedness to agricultural innovation and technology's impact on daily life — continue to shape how people live, work, and make decisions, local journalism has never been more essential. My Local Press is committed to ensuring that no community has to face those challenges without a trusted local voice to help make sense of them.