About this tracker

Citizen Portal publishes this public ledger of the diminished fourth estate — the decline of local newspapers and local radio and TV news. We believe every citizen should want their local news media to survive and thrive. Without a strong, independent free press, freedom itself is at risk.

Citizen Portal records and transcribes public meetings across the United States. Those transcripts, articles, and APIs help newsrooms keep covering city hall — with AI-only workflows or a human editor in the loop.

How we find stories

Each morning we sweep public reporting on local-news industry cuts: shutdowns, layoffs, buyouts, furloughs, and sales. We check major industry coverage (Nieman Lab, Poynter, Medill’s State of Local News, Rebuild Local News, and similar outlets) plus a keyword search across Google News for newspaper and broadcast newsroom contractions.

Only verified items with a public source enter the ledger. Quiet days stay empty — we do not invent events. The tracker updates when confirmed news lands.

What each entry shows

• Organization (paper, station, or digital outlet)
• Locality and state
• Medium: newspaper, TV, radio, or digital
• Event type: shutdown, layoff, furlough, sale, or other
• Headcount when reported
• Short summary and link to the source

What this is not

This is not a daily opinion blog or an internal memo. It is a civic record for readers who care whether their town still has reporters covering public meetings.