LOCAL NEWS 2035:
A Vision for Civic Renewal
Imagine it’s 2035. What does local news look like?
For a moment, we invite you to set aside today’s constraints, embrace uncertainty and strategize expansively with a growing group of field leaders dedicated to local news.
Local News 2035 is our effort to stretch what we think is possible and develop some common language that helps everyone working in this space — regardless of role or organization — navigate what comes next.
Drawing on conversations with more than 90 local news leaders, we’ve drafted three possible future scenarios. These are not predictions, but provocations, imperfect and incomplete by design. They represent a starting point for deeper dialogue.
This is where you come in.
In early 2026, we will release a facilitator’s guide to help you engage your community in exploring these futures. Your insights and feedback now will shape the final version of these scenarios and the tools that accompany them.
We hope you’ll take a moment to review the materials below and share your reflections. Together, we can chart a more resilient, inclusive, and imaginative future for local news.
Three scenarios for the future
Conversations with more than 90 local news field leaders informed the development of three scenarios that represent distinct alternative futures for local news ten years from now. Of course, the future that will emerge will likely be a variation of one of them or even incorporate elements of all three but we present them in this way as we believe it is helpful to inform choices we have. They are:
Commerce Dominates
Continuing along a trajectory of commercial consolidation of news with the core assumption being that growth continues via tech, markets, and innovation, with targeted local innovations supported by the nonprofit and volunteer sector.
Information
is Power
Collapse of the public square as we’ve known it with the core assumption being the collapse might be triggered by a major systemic failure, like an economic crisis, political breakdown, war, widespread climate disasters, or social unrest. This exacerbates and is exacerbated by failure of the fourth estate.
Trust, Justice, and a New American Way
A renewed civic society with the core assumption being that sustainability, civic values, preservation, and restraint take priority over growth. Policy supports healthy civic discourse. Tech is regulated and built for social good.
Perspectives
We invited a group of field leaders to react to these scenarios. What stands out as most important about the future they want to build toward? What might prevent us from getting to that future? And, practically speaking, did these scenarios inspire any concrete actions these field leaders might take to get closer to our preferred future? Here’s what each shared.
Moving Forward
Moving Forward: What’s next?
The project is a work in progress and we want to hear from more field leaders— from journalism support organization leaders to local news providers as well as funders.
In January, we’ll publish a guide to help leaders facilitate conversations about the future of news with their colleagues and the people their organizations serve. That guide is an invitation to send us your feedback and perspectives to help inform the second phase of this project.Â
If you’d like to receive the guide when it’s live or learn about any other project updates, please sign up for our project e-mail list below.Â
Who’s behind this project?
This project is funded and led by Press Forward and Democracy Fund staff, including Dale Anglin, Melissa Milios Davis and Angelica Das.
Facilitators include Democracy Fund’s Tom Glaisyer, Dot Connector Studio’s Nina Spensley and Commoner Co.’s Darryl Holliday and Anika Anand.Other project contributors included Liz Ruedy, formerly of Democracy Fund, and the late Jessica Clark, founder of Dot Connector Studio.
Thank you, especially, to Jessica Clark, who was a key inspiration behind this project.