Outlets hurt by dwindling public interest in news in 2021
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The metrics are ugly for many television, digital and print news organizations: after record-setting engagement numbers in 2020, many people are cutting back on news consumption. To a large degree, that was predictable with the presidential election, pandemic and racial reckoning providing constant headlines the year before. Cable news and digital sites, in particular, are coping with a dramatic decrease in interest in political news after that was a major draw in 2020. Local newspapers continue to close, but one expert says 2021 shows many are making progress in shifting from a print business model to a digital one.