“The crisis in local newspaper journalism”

Newspapers in the United States have been under major financial pressure since the rise of the Internet brought significant losses in advertising revenue and readership. The economic downturn wrought by the pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges for local newspaper journalism. U.S. newspapers have lost about half of their workforce since 2008 and numerous publications have gone out of business, creating so-called “news deserts” across the country. The dean of UNR’s Reynolds School of Journalism, Dr. Al Stavitsky, will describe the roots of the crisis, current trends in the news industry, and the implications for democratic society.

Al Stavitsky has been dean of UNR’s Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism since March 2012. He also oversees the university’s public radio stations: KUNR and KNCJ.  During his time as dean, the Reynolds School has increased enrollment and almost doubled the size of its faculty and staff. Under Dean Stavitsky’s leadership, the Reynolds School has received national awards for academic innovation and for diversity and inclusion.  

Dr. Stavitsky is president-elect of the national Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and was named Distinguished Scholar for the Library of Congress’ Radio Preservation Task Force.