Center for Community News
Maps & Graphics
A map of all college campuses and counties with one or zero news outlets. Colleges not filtered in this version. Link to web map.
(Version with just partners / exploring partners.)
Data sources:
A map of campuses that are in in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. Filtered to include 4 year, public or private non-profit colleges with total enrollment over 500.
Data sources:
Map 3: News/Academic Partnerships and News Deserts
A map of campuses that are in in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. Filtered to include 4 year, public or non-profit colleges with total enrollment over 500. Existing and exploring partnerships highlighted.
Map 4a: Center for Community New Statehouse Champions
A map of colleges with news/academic partnerships covering statehouses around the country.
Map 4b: Center for Community News Statehouse Champions
A choropleth (colored states) map version of colleges with news/academic partnerships covering statehouses around the country. The institution names appear in the pop-up and labels also appear if someone zooms in on the map.
Map 5: Colleges within 15 miles of a Statehouse
A map of all colleges with 15 miles of a state capitol building.
Data sources:
Map 6: News/Academic Partnerships
A map of all existing and exploring partners.
Data sources:
Map 6b: News/Academic Partnerships
Map 7: Rural College Campuses & News Deserts
A map of rural college campuses that are in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. ‘Rural college campuses’ defined as those in the NCES database located outside of Metropolitan Statistical Areas and schools with total enrollment less than 500 were excluded from the analysis/visuals.
Link to higher resolution static map.
Data sources:
Map 8a: HBCUs & News Deserts
A map of Historically Black Colleges and Universities symbolized to highlight those in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. Mapped HBCUs are those included in the National Center for Education Statistics 2022 database. County news outlet counts are from the Local News Initiative Database via Medill Local News Initiative’s 2023 State of Local News Report.
Link to higher resolution static map.
Data sources:
Map 8b: HBCUs & News Deserts
A map of Historically Black Colleges and Universities symbolized to highlight those in counties with zero or one news outlet. Map 8b is different than Map 8a, which includes adjacent counties. Mapped HBCUs are those included in the National Center for Education Statistics 2022 database. County news outlet counts are from the Local News Initiative Database via Medill Local News Initiative’s 2023 State of Local News Report.
Link to higher resolution static map.
Data sources:
Map 9: HBCUs and News Partnerships
A map of Historically Black Colleges and Universities symbolized to highlight those in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. Mapped HBCUs are those included in the National Center for Education Statistics 2022 database. County news outlet counts are from the Local News Initiative Database via Medill Local News Initiative’s 2023 State of Local News Report.
Link to higher resolution static map.
Data sources:
Map 10: Schools in Watch List Counties
A map of Schools located in 'Watch List Counties', identified by Medill University as being at risk of becoming news deserts in Medill Local News Initiative’s 2023 State of Local News Report.
Data sources:
National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
Northwestern Medill: The State of Local News 2023 & Forecasting Future News Deserts
Chart 1: Enrollment & Endowment of Schools in News Deserts
A scatter plot showing total enrollment and endowment for institutions located in counties with zero or one news outlet. Colleges filtered to those with enrollment over 500.
Data sources:
Chart 2: Existing Partners & News Deserts
A scatter plot showing total enrollment and endowment for institutions located in counties with zero or one news outlet. Colleges filtered to those with enrollment over 500. Academic/News partnerships highlighted in this version.
Data sources:
Chart 3: Rural College Campuses & News Deserts by Region
A chart of rural college campuses that are in or adjacent to counties with zero or one news outlet. ‘Rural college campuses’ defined as those in the NCES database located outside of Metropolitan Statistical Areas and schools with total enrollment less than 500 were excluded from the analysis/visuals. Regions defined by US Census.
Data sources:
Chart 4: African American Communities and News Deserts
A chart showing percent of counties that are in counties with zero or one news outlet, broken out by % of population that identified as black or African American in the 2020 US Census.
Data sources:
2020 US Census
Table 1: News/Academic Partnerships
A table of existing partners with fact sheets and case studies.
