Jacksonville needs neighborhood news: Lessons from our latest landscape analysis

Editor’s note: The Hub also recently conducted a landscape analysis of the San Antonio news ecosystem. Read those takeaways here.

At the News Revenue Hub, we believe that strong local journalism is essential to thriving communities. One way we support that mission is by conducting landscape analyses — in-depth assessments of local news ecosystems that combine community input, content analysis, and outlet surveys. These reports aren’t just snapshots. They’re blueprints for rebuilding trust, identifying news gaps, and helping local journalism remain rooted in the people it serves.

We’ve done this work in cities large and small, each with its own media landscape and civic identity. But Jacksonville, Florida — the largest city by landmass in the continental U.S. — stands apart. With scores of distinct neighborhoods, rapid population growth, and a consolidated city-county government, Jacksonville’s information needs are complex and deeply place-based.

That’s why our recent landscape analysis, commissioned by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Jesse Ball duPont Fund, and the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, centered around one urgent theme: Jacksonville’s need for neighborhood-based, hyperlocal news.

What Jacksonville residents told us

To conduct the study, we used a multi-pronged approach: resident surveys, listening sessions with community members and news leaders, and a content analysis of local reporting. Overwhelmingly, we heard that people want more relevant, accessible local news — particularly stories tailored to their neighborhoods where they live and work.

Jacksonville residents often turn to social media and digital platforms for news, though a third still prefer local TV. Younger audiences, in particular, want mobile-friendly content and push notifications that fit their routines. 

Overall, though, satisfaction with local news was low. Many respondents felt the coverage they do see doesn’t reflect their lived experiences, interests, or community concerns. Regardless of how they consume local news, one message came through: People want local news that feels truly local.

A city too big for one-size-fits-all coverage

Our content analysis identified 27 outlets providing news in the Jacksonville metro area. Of those, only nine cover specific geographic areas, and just three focus on audiences defined by race or ethnicity. That leaves more than half the metro population, including Arlington, Northside, and Southside, with no dedicated hyperlocal coverage.

Sports coverage made up 23% of the local stories we analyzed, despite community interest being stronger in areas like arts, culture, politics, and weather. Key topics like the local economy, housing, and education — all named as top priorities by residents — were significantly underreported.

There was also a clear appetite for more enterprise reporting and journalism that holds power to account. Only 12% of the stories analyzed included accountability reporting, even though residents ranked it as one of their most important news needs. They also expressed a desire for solutions-focused journalism: not just stories that spotlight problems, but explore how to solve them.

Representation and reach

Jacksonville is a diverse city, but many residents feel underrepresented by local coverage. Black residents, who make up nearly a third of Duval County, reported low satisfaction with how their communities are portrayed in the media. Hispanic and Arab American residents — Jacksonville is home to the fifth-largest Syrian population in the U.S. — also report feeling underserved.

People told us they want to see themselves and their neighbors reflected in the news, not just as sources, but storytellers. They want a fuller picture of Jacksonville, shaped by a broader range of voices and lived experiences.

This is where opportunity lies. Jacksonville’s fragmented identity — its many neighborhoods, cultural enclaves, and unconnected civic centers — can be a challenge. But it’s also a strength, if local media steps up as a connector. Newsrooms can bridge divides, reflect the full tapestry of the city, and help residents better understand each other.

What Jacksonville newsrooms need

Local outlets aren’t ignoring these challenges. Across the board, journalists told us they want to serve their communities better. But doing more requires resources they don’t currently have.

To close the gap, Jacksonville’s news outlets need to rebuild reporting teams, hire staff dedicated to revenue and audience development, and upgrade outdated tech systems. They also need support navigating a fragmented media environment, an increasingly closed-off city government, and expensive FOIA processes that make investigative work difficult.

In such a widespread, diverse city, no one newsroom needs to do it all. While some collaboration is already happening, most of it is limited to content-sharing. Newsrooms said they’d welcome deeper partnerships — in reporting, training, and technology — but don’t have the infrastructure to support it.

But there’s potential: 38% of Jacksonville residents surveyed already pay for local news. With the right staff and strategies, outlets can grow reader revenue and build more sustainable business models.

Looking ahead

This analysis doesn’t just highlight problems — it outlines solutions. Here are some promising paths forward:

• Invest in hyperlocal coverage: Neighborhood-specific reporting isn’t a luxury in Jacksonville — it’s essential. Funding for community correspondents, partnerships with civic groups, and beats focused on undercovered areas can help fill critical gaps.
• Build newsroom capacity: Hiring revenue and audience development professionals, upgrading tech tools, and expanding digital storytelling formats will help meet people where they are — and where they’re going.
• Foster deeper collaboration: Instead of competing for limited resources, local outlets can build shared infrastructures — for reporting, distribution, and even fundraising — that strengthens the entire ecosystem.
• Commit to representation: Telling fuller, more nuanced stories about Jacksonville’s diverse communities isn’t just about fairness — it’s about trust, engagement, and impact.
• Center accountability and solutions: People want watchdog journalism. But they also want answers and hope. Balancing these needs can make local journalism more relevant — and more resilient.

Local news is essential infrastructure. And like any infrastructure, it needs regular inspection, smart investment, and a clear plan for the future. Jacksonville’s media landscape tells a story that’s both familiar and unique. Familiar in its resource constraints and audience shifts. Unique in its geography, rapid growth, and untapped potential for neighborhood-based journalism.

Landscape analyses like this are more than research reports. They help us remember why we do this work — and point the way toward doing it better.

About the respondents

To understand how Jacksonville residents feel about their local news coverage and what they want from local news, we designed a community survey that was distributed widely with the help of local partners. The survey was shared with 148 community organizations and several local news outlets, who promoted it through their networks. In total, we received 824 responses.

Residents from nearly every ZIP code in the Jacksonville metro area participated, with the exception of two ZIP codes in St. Johns County, two in the Beaches area, and one in the Urban Core. The largest share of respondents came from the Westside, followed by the Beaches, Southside, and Northside. About a third of respondents did not provide a ZIP code.

To complement the survey, we also hosted listening sessions to gather insights from individuals whose perspectives are often underrepresented in traditional feedback efforts.

With support from local partners, we engaged nonprofit leaders, artists, business professionals, media executives, and civically engaged residents across Jacksonville. The group reflected meaningful racial and generational diversity: 40% identified as Black, 5% as Asian, 5% as Hispanic, and most participants were in their 30s to 50s. Neighborhoods represented included Riverside, Arlington, the Northside, Orange Park, and St. Johns County.

If you’re interested in learning more about an ecosystem study in your community, reach out to [email protected].