Crossing the News Desert: Local Journalism in Nevada, Present and Future

The term ‘news desert’ has become widely used in recent years to describe communities that lack local news coverage, including some around Lake Tahoe and in rural Nevada. A recent study ranked Nevada last among the 50 states for the number of professional journalists as a percentage of population.

There are promising developments, however, in revitalizing local journalism in Nevada, some of which are driven by Reynolds School of Journalism faculty and students. Join Reynolds School professor Al Stavitsky for a discussion of the challenges and opportunities for news media in meeting the information needs of the Silver State.

Dr. Stavitsky served as the Reynolds School’s dean for 12 years, the longest term in School history, before returning to its faculty in 2024 to teach the introductory course in media and society and direct the RSJ’s Project for the Revitalization of Local News. He was named a Distinguished Scholar by the Library of Congress for his body of research on broadcast policy and history.