For years now, local journalism has been under duress. Researchers across the country are documenting the loss of traditional outlets and the rise of new media. Civic leaders, in particular, are concerned about these trends eroding community cohesion and public well-being. In New Mexico, Mike Marcotte, Gwyneth Doland, the NM Local News Fund and others have been tracking local trends to try to help residents, policymakers, journalists and funders see the trends to better act on them. This study opens a new front in that effort. It was funded, in part, by the UNM Center for Regional Studies and the New Mexico Chapter of Press Forward, working in partnership with the New Mexico Local News Fund.

In late 2024, our team set out to count and describe New Mexico’s local news suppliers. We compiled a list of 335 mass media outlets by consulting existing lists (MuckRack, NM Local News Fund, University of New Mexico, public relations lists and word-of-mouth) and we invited all of them to complete a survey about their local news offerings. 

Team members examined every outlet (in most cases, using online access, but not exclusively) and employed a content analysis rubric to gauge their local news presence and effectiveness. We eliminated more than 165 entities — including some 120 commercial radio stations — that were defunct or did not supply any observable local news.

The curated map and database we developed features 139 local media outlets that provide a measurable level of news. Of these, about 100 had provided detailed survey responses. Where surveys did not provide details, our team filled in the gaps (i.e., location, ownership, business model, etc.) with FCC data, information posted on the outlets’ websites and interviewing local news producers.

While some of the data in the report is based on a sample of the overall local news ecosystem, it is a large sample and, we believe, a highly representative sample. For example, 35 of the 41 recent members of the New Mexico Press Association responded to our survey (in addition to 15 print outlets that are not members).

Overall, our findings provide a detailed portrait of the New Mexico news suppliers and how they operate in this ever-changing media landscape. 

Our research team fielded a statewide online survey from early February to late May, 2025. The survey was designed to understand New Mexicans’ access to sources of local news as well as their opinions and preferences about it. The survey included questions about preferred platforms, most important issues or topics, use of social media, willingness to pay for news, and an open-ended question to recall actual names of trusted news sources. We also documented basic demographic information.

The 35-question instrument borrowed from similar reports. (Notably influential was  the Wyoming Local News Fund and Impact Architects January 2025 report.) After customizing, the questionnaire was administered through the web-based survey and research platform Qualtrics.

Our distribution process involved open invitations to all residents of New Mexico 18 and older. While we engaged several market research firms about scientific sampling, we found that none could guarantee us enough responses to achieve demographic precision per the five regions we targeted, at a price we could afford. Thus we opted to distribute the survey via word-of-mouth, ads, flyers, social media, events, email and other means that would reach the largest possible sample. We included a basic website with a survey landing page and translated most of our materials into English and Spanish. Our cadre of student researchers helped spread the word via social media accounts, including viral videos. We also encouraged participants in our focus groups to spread the word. The campaign invitations explained the purpose of the research and asked for participation. An incentive to participate was offered.

A total of 1,146 respondents completed the survey providing demographic data and zip code location. Our respondents’ locations tended to favor central and north central New Mexico, and our demographics skewed somewhat older. So, to better reflect the population of the state, we used a weighting process to adjust our sample according to U.S. Census data from 2020. We weighted the sample by race only to maximize sample size and minimize data impact. This resulted in a 95% confidence level for our statewide findings. This still results in some higher margins-of-error for analysis involving subsets of data, thus we tried to minimize the use of demographic breakouts in the report.

To complement the survey data, our team conducted five focus groups across New Mexico between April 29 and May 15, 2025. These focus groups were designed to: 

• Add context to survey results

• Generate community-driven recommendations for improving local news access

• Gather community-specific information about strengths in the information ecosystem

We held one focus group in each of the five regions of the state:

• Central New Mexico: Albuquerque at public television station KNME-TV on the University of New Mexico campus.

• North Central New Mexico: Española at the Española Public Library.

• Eastern New Mexico: Roswell at the Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell campus.

• Southwestern New Mexico: Las Cruces at the public television station KRWG on the New Mexico State University campus.

• Northwestern New Mexico: Farmington at Three Rivers Brewery.

Our target population was New Mexico adults aged 18 and older with a demonstrated interest in improving access to civic information in their communities. Our primary recruitment strategy was through the survey, which included a question allowing for further contact.

These in-person focus groups, averaging 12 participants, were moderated by Gwyneth Doland in private meeting rooms to encourage open discussion. Each meeting lasted about two hours from arrival to departure, with 60-90 minutes of actual facilitated discussion. The sessions were videotaped for research accuracy and transcription purposes. Research team members also took detailed written notes during each session. Each participant was offered a $50 gift card in recognition of their time and contribution to the research.

Apart from our mapping and survey process, this project included a content analysis of all outlets in our database. 

We hired University of New Mexico students to analyze the websites of all media outlets in our original database. The students were trained to confirm web links, collect social media links and score each outlet for the following dimensions:

• Frequency and volume of local news: Is coverage ongoing, frequent, consistent?

• Staffing commitment: Is the outlet staffed by bylined reporters? Is there evidence of editorial specialization (beats, editors, etc)?

• Originality of coverage: Is it original coverage or derivative from others?

• Depth of coverage: Do stories provide sources, quotes, documents, context?

• Representation of the local population: After considering local Census profiles, does coverage reflect the attributes of the community?

• Engagement with the public: Does the outlet demonstrate interest in user engagement (i.e., social media, feedback, story tips, meet-ups, etc.)? 

Outlets were excluded from further analysis if they had not produced at least one story or audio/video report in the last 30 days, did not offer any original reporting (i.e. only opinion blogging) or focused only on national, not local issues. (See a complete description in the methodology section of our full report.)

That eliminated 165 outlets, leaving 139 outlets remaining in our local news map and database.

These remaining were then reviewed again by the project leadership team who assigned a “Community Impact Level” between 1-3 and refined the one-sentence description that appears on the map.

Here is how we are positioning their comparative values:

Community Impact Levels

(3.00) Model for Service: Demonstrates outstanding breadth and depth in coverage meeting the target audience’s critical information needs.

(2.75) Trusted Anchor: A reliable, frequent source of high-quality news achieving significant depth and breath. 

(2.50) Strong Resource: Regularly provides relevant reporting on key community issues. 

(2.25) Solid Contributor: Covers selective key issues, with moderate reach and depth.

(2.00) Notable Contributor: Provides core journalism in a community or topic area.

(1.75) Helpful Contributor: Focuses on announcements, events or lifestyle topics.

(1.50) Basic Presence: Provides basic information on a select area or local topic.

(1.25) Limited Presence: Offers limited announcements or community discussion. 

(1.00) Nominal Presence: A sparse source of announcements, events or headlines.

Scoring a 2 or higher in the Community Impact Assessment signifies the outlet has delivered original coverage that meets core journalism values. The closer to 3, the more that coverage goes deeper or wider, or is more consistent or frequent. 

Those rating below a 2 provide some valuable civic information in an under-covered area (such as tribal government newsletters or radio stations airing community announcements) but do not produce journalism (independent, reported and verified information).