DECLINE IN JOURNALISM: LAYOFFS MAPPED

In recent years, many foundations have become more aware of the need to invest in local journalism, in response to the sharp cuts at mainstream news outlets. But even with increased awareness of the decline in traditional news media, the scale and scope of the cuts can be hard to recognize.

A powerful tool for communicating the decline in local journalism – and the need to invest in rebuilding local news capacity nationwide – can be found at Paper Cuts, a site that maps newspaper layoffs and buyouts since 2007. The site, run by journalist Erica Smith, counts 2,813 jobs cut just in 2010. (Her count includes all newspaper jobs, not just journalists.) In addition to running the site, which she does independently, Smith works as a multimedia producer and print designer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in St. Louis, Missouri.