Newspaper Media: The Hidden Backbone of American News

A few years back, while I was working at the Colorado Press Association, we posted a simple meme on Facebook:

“Saying ‘I don’t need newspapers, I get my news from the internet’ is like saying ‘I don’t need farmers, I get my food at the supermarket.’”

I figured a few people might appreciate it. Twenty likes would’ve felt like a win. But then it climbed to a thousand. Then tens of thousands. The post took off, popping up in conference programs, email signatures—even national conversations.

It struck a chord because it exposed a truth most people overlook: the information we consume every day still depends on someone doing the original digging.

When you scroll through social media or flip on the TV news, have you ever stopped to ask: Where did this story start?

In many cases, the answer is newspaper media.

Even in a digital age, newspaper media - print and digital -- remain the backbone of original reporting in the U.S. They’re not always the loudest voices, but they’re the ones showing up to meetings, filing public records requests, and asking the questions that spark real stories.

Think of them as the groundwater of the news ecosystem — quietly feeding the streams and rivers that flow through every other outlet.

Where Does Original News Come From?

Not all news is created equal. 

Original reporting means new information uncovered through research, interviews, or investigation. This is the kind of news that reveals a city’s budget misdeeds, exposes a health hazard, or profiles a local hero for the first time.

 Other media often then relay or repeat this information. For example, a TV station or website might report “Officials plan to fix the bridge, as first reported by the Daily Gazette.” 

In this news food chain, newspapers are like the farmers growing the crops – others (TV, radio, blogs) cook and serve those ingredients in different ways. But without the farmers, there’s nothing to cook.

Research backs this up. One landmark study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism examined all the news that came out of Baltimore over a week. It found that 95% of stories with fresh information came from traditional media – and the vast majority of those from newspapers. In that study, most of the “news” circulating was just rehashed content: 83% of reports simply repeated or repackaged someone else’s story. 

The truly new stories almost always started with a newspaper journalist (about two-thirds of the time). Digital-only outlets contributed very little original news – only about 4%. 

In short, newspapers were (and are) doing the hard work of reporting, while many newer outlets act as amplifiers.

Newspapers Punching Above Their Weight

It’s even more striking at the local level. 

Local newspapers have shrunk in number and staff over the years, yet they still punch far above their weight in producing real news. A 2019 study of 100 U.S. communities found that newspapers made up only about 25% of local media outlets, but they generated nearly 50% of all original news stories.

In fact, they produced more local reporting than TV, radio, and online-only outlets combined. 

Newspapers, even in digital form, remain the primary eyes and ears on city halls, school boards, and community events. They attend the town meetings, court hearings, and press conferences that often nobody else does.

Why do newspapers consistently generate so much original reporting? 

One reason is that reporting news is newspapers’ core mission. Newspapers historically invest in newsgathering – hiring reporters to ask questions, check records, and chase leads. 

A TV station might prioritize quick updates and visuals, and a digital outlet might curate trending topics, but a local newspaper is more likely to assign a reporter to spend days investigating a complex story. 

Newspapers also cover the routine civic beats: they’ll send someone to the city council or school board when nobody else shows up. This boots-on-the-ground presence means they catch stories at the source. As one media researcher put it, newspapers today act as “keystone media,” the primary providers of vital information that enable other media outlets’ coverage. 

In other words, if you pull out the newspaper reporters, much of the news structure collapses.

When TV and Websites Ride the Newspaper’s Coattails

If you get your news from TV, radio, or an online news feed, you’re often getting second-hand news. That’s not necessarily bad – these outlets add analysis, updates, or wider exposure – but it’s important to know where the story started. 

Think about cable news panels discussing a big political expose. Frequently, you’ll hear something like, “The New York Times reports...” or “According to the Washington Post...” Those are newspapers breaking the news. 

Similarly, your local TV newscast might lead with a story that originally appeared in that morning’s local newspaper. Studies suggest that the bulk of stories covered on TV or talk radio originate with newspaper reporting. Even many news articles you read on aggregator sites or social media link back to newspaper articles.

None of this is to knock television or online media, but it highlights a dependency: the flashier outlets often build on the groundwork laid by newspaper journalists. 

An online news site can publish an article in minutes, but if it’s just rewriting what a newspaper already uncovered, it isn’t adding new facts. As one Reddit user quipped, TV stations sometimes re-report stories that took print journalists weeks to investigate, often with zero attribution. 

It’s like copying someone’s homework; the TV report may reach a wider audience, but the newspaper did the homework in the first place.

Why This Matters for Everyone

You might be thinking, “So what? News is news, no matter where I read it.” 

It matters because if newspapers continue to shrink or disappear, there’s a real risk that many important stories will never be told at all. When newspaper reporting declines, often no one else picks up the slack.

For example, the Baltimore study noted that as the local paper cut back, the total number of stories on important issues (like state budget cuts) dropped dramatically. Fewer reporters on the beat means fewer eyes on your government, schools, businesses, and community leaders. 

In some places, newspapers have closed and no new outlet has replaced them – creating “news deserts” where communities get little to no local news coverage.

Another consequence is that we might end up with a news ecosystem that’s mostly recycling content or, worse, pushing out unchecked information. The Baltimore research warned that as original reporting dwindled, “official versions of events” – basically press releases – were increasingly being published as news.

In other words, if journalists aren’t there to question officials or verify facts, the public may only hear the polished PR side of the story. That’s a loss for transparency and accountability. It’s like only hearing the coach’s version of why the team lost, without any reporter asking the tough questions.

Finally, consider the role of investigative journalism – those in-depth stories that expose corruption, injustice, or systemic problems. Newspapers, from big names like The Washington Post down to small local weeklies, have broken countless such stories. 

When a local newspaper uncovers a water contamination issue or a national paper reveals a political scandal, they’re performing a public service that TV and online media can amplify but might not initiate. 

If we lose the newspaper’s investigative muscle, everyone’s left with thinner gruel – lots of commentary, but very little original meat.

The Bottom Line

Even if you don’t read a traditional newspaper, you likely benefit from the reporting they do. 

They are the unsung heroes behind much of the news you consume. So the next time you see a headline on your phone or hear one on TV, remember that a newspaper journalist might have been the one who dug up that story. 

Keeping newspapers alive isn’t about clinging to the past or paper and ink; it’s about sustaining the source of so much information our society relies on and ensuring strong journalism moving forward. 

In the grand ecosystem of news, newspapers remain a critical foundation – remove them, and the whole system wobbles. Supporting quality journalism at its source (subscribing to your local paper, for instance) helps ensure there’s a watchdog in your community and original stories that others can build on. 

In a world awash with reposts and repeats, newspapers are still doing the original reporting that keeps us all informed – and that’s something worth caring about.

This story includes content generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.