John Volk

Dec 15, 2024 | barnraisingmedia.com | Paul Farhi |John Volk |Maija Hecht

The findings are based on results from 193 of the 206 counties Medill has identified as news deserts, in states where county-level election results are currently available. The third annual State of Local News report, released by Medill’s Local News Initiative in October, documented the continuing decline of local news across the country, as measured by the number of newspapers, circulation, frequency of publication, employment and readership.

Dec 13, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Paul Farhi |John Volk

Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts — counties lacking a professional source of local news — it was an avalanche. Trump won 91% of these counties over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of voting data by Medill Journalism School’s State of Local News project. While Trump’s national popular-vote margin was just under 1.5%, his margin in news deserts was massive.

May 17, 2023 | news.medill.northwestern.edu | John Volk

By John VolkMedill ReportsArslan Ahmed Rana, 33, sits quietly in the back room of his Johannesburg tailor shop. His blue-checkered suit flatters his build, and he’s taken great care to coif his hair and line up his short beard. But the dark circles under his eyes tell a different story. He pushes his palms into his knees and sighs as he lifts himself from his chair. “We’ve been talking for an hour,” Rana said.