Live in counties with zero (213 counties) or only one (1,525 counties) local news source. Almost 40% of U.S. local newspapers (3,500+ papers) have vanished since 2005 (136 closed in the past year alone), and over 75% of newspaper jobs are gone. Meanwhile, Gallup/Knight Foundation research shows 44% of Americans have high emotional trust in local news vs. 21% in national news, yet 60% say local news lacks the resources to hold powerful institutions accountable.