In the southwestern Pennsylvania city of McKeesport, local journalism is facing a crisis. In a nation where technology has disrupted journalism in profound ways, throwing thousands of journalists out of work and closing newsrooms, towns like McKeesport are being left without access to traditional forms of local news reporting. This is what Andrew Conte calls “news deserts,” and in Death of the Daily News, he gives readers a glimpse into the life and aftermath of one of them.

Conte examines the effects of the loss of a newspaper on its community and beyond, examining how citizens seek out information to fill the gap created by the death of the paper. In doing so, he reveals that in these times of digital disruption and “citizen gatekeepers,” the role of local journalists has never been more important. This is a profoundly timely and insightful book, offering hope to communities that may be experiencing the same loss of their own papers.

Founded in 1919 as the first tabloid newspaper published in the United States, the New York Daily News quickly became one of the most popular newspapers in America, attracting readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and celebrity gossip, among other features. In recent years, the Daily News has suffered from staff cuts and ownership changes, leading to a precipitous drop in circulation. As of 2017, the Daily News is owned by Tronc, a company that also owns the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.

AllSides Media Bias Rating: Left

The New York Daily News is a tabloid-style newspaper in New York, founded in 1919 and now the ninth most popular newspaper in the United States. The Daily News features large and prominent photographs, intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads, comics, sports, and opinion sections. The newspaper has been criticized for its liberal bias, and it was often compared to the conservative New York Post.