Voters trust local newspapers.
Newspaper readers are the voters.
New national research answers two critical questions for 2026: where campaigns should place political messages, and what editors should cover to serve voters best.
Local newspapers are critical to successful elections.
For sales departments and editorial teams, the story is based on trust. Choose your path to find out more.
Place your message where voters already trust the source.
Trust data, political ad environment research, voter turnout advantage, and voting decision patterns — the full case for local newspapers in 2026.
Your readers told you exactly what to cover.
Ranked coverage priorities, generational breakdown, and editorial strategy built for 2026 newsroom planning — from the Local Media Roadmap Study.
The 2026 election arrives in a trust crisis.
Three in four Americans say they're concerned about the spread of false or inaccurate news. Half say it has damaged their trust in U.S. elections. Voters are actively choosing which sources they can rely on — and those choices shape where political messages land.
The 2026 media environment isn't neutral. Voters arrive with opinions already formed about which sources deserve their attention — and which sources are part of the problem.
Voters trust local newspapers. They blame social media for misinformation.
Voters were asked two separate questions: how much they trust each medium, and which media they hold most responsible for misinformation. Local newspapers win decisively on both.
That stability is durable brand equity. Voters who have written off social media and cable news are not abandoning local newspapers. And credibility is what makes a political message land.
Newspaper readers are the voters who show up.
Reaching voters isn't just about audience size — it's about reaching people who actually cast ballots, especially in the local races decided by margins of a few hundred votes. Newspaper readers vote at dramatically higher rates than non-readers at every level.
The +21-point local election turnout gap is the one campaigns most often underestimate. School board, council, and ballot measure races are frequently decided by a few hundred votes. That gap isn't a footnote — it's a structural advantage for any campaign investing in the medium.
Voters don't resent political ads in local newspapers.
Voters were asked to describe political ads across every medium where they encounter them. Local newspapers came out cleanest on every negative attribute — by a wide margin. The comparison with social media and direct mail is stark.
Local newspapers also rank second only to local TV as a trusted carrier of political advertising — ahead of social media, direct mail, and cable. The medium itself shapes how the message is received. Print and digital: same newsroom, same brand, same credibility.
Accurate. Transparent. Invested in the community.
The environment a political ad runs in shapes how voters receive it. Voters were asked to rate local newspaper journalists on the qualities that define trustworthy reporting. The results aren't close.
Why this matters for campaigns
Voters trust the journalists. That trust transfers to the pages they work on — including the political ads. When 82–87% of voters say local newspaper reporters are doing an excellent or good job on accuracy and community investment, they're describing the environment every message in that paper inherits. Candidates don't just buy an ad. They buy into a brand built on credibility.
Voters choose local newspapers over social media and mail when it's time to decide.
This is the high-intent moment campaigns invest for. Voters were asked which media they'll use to guide their local voting decisions — not general news consumption, but active decision-making. Local newspapers came out on top.
Voters turning to local newspapers to make up their minds are actively seeking information — not passively scrolling. Placing your message where voters go to decide is categorically different from placing it where they go to be entertained.
Editorial product creates trust. Trust makes advertising work.
Local newspapers don't compete on reach in 2026 — no medium does. They compete on credibility. And credibility compounds.
The coverage voters want is what builds the trust voters extend to every message in the paper, including political ads. Voters rating journalists 82–87% excellent on accuracy and community investment are the same voters welcoming political ads in local newspapers — not calling them biased, not finding them irritating.
This isn't coincidence. It's the flywheel. Credible coverage builds trusted readers. Trusted readers are high-intent voters. High-intent voters engage with messages in trusted contexts. Those messages work.
Social media can reach more people. Cable TV can reach more households. Neither can hand a candidate the credibility that comes from appearing alongside journalism voters respect.
Download the research and connect with member newspapers.
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The full advertising brief in a single page — trust data, reader turnout advantage, political ad environment, and voting decisions. Ready to send.
Access the full suite of 2026 marketing campaign assets.
Campaign materials, research decks, and member resources for the 2026 election cycle — all in one place.
Go to Marketing Campaigns →Your readers all want election coverage. But they don't all want the same thing.
- →Candidate issue positions rank #1 across every generation — this is the non-negotiable anchor for any 2026 election coverage plan.
- →Boomers feel the strongest urgency across all seven coverage types — they're your most engaged election audience and want depth and accountability.
- →Voter guides are nearly universal — only a 3-point spread separates all three generations. Help every reader know how and where to vote.
- →Millennials flip the pattern on two formats — they rate candidate interviews and public meeting coverage higher than Boomers. These are your growth levers for younger readers.
- →Gen X mirrors your overall readership — coverage built for your general audience serves this cohort without any adjustments.
Voters in every generation consider local newspaper election coverage extremely important. What the data shows is which types matter most to which readers — and where you need to make deliberate choices about depth, format, and emphasis based on who you're reaching.
What every generation wants covered — ranked and compared.
Seven coverage types, three generations, one clear hierarchy. The bar length shows how urgently each generation rates each type. Watch how the pattern flips at #6 and #7.
Hard news for Boomers. Access journalism for Millennials.
The dominant generational pattern is that older readers place greater urgency on traditional accountability journalism, while Millennials show stronger appetite for formats that give them direct access to candidates. Two coverage types flip the pattern entirely.
The editorial implication: a coverage plan anchored in candidate issue positions and ballot issues satisfies all three generations. Layering in interview and public meeting coverage grows the franchise with younger readers without sacrificing the core priorities any generation rates highest.
What the data means for 2026 newsroom planning.
The research translates directly into coverage planning. Start with the consensus priorities that satisfy every generation, then add the formats that grow specific audiences.
Lead with accountability
Boomers rate traditional accountability journalism highest and feel the strongest urgency across all coverage types. This audience responds to depth and seriousness.
- Candidate issue positions — their top priority by the widest margin (74.4%)
- Voting records and incumbents' legislative track record
- Community ballot issues with detailed analysis
- Candidate profiles with depth and background
Mirror the consensus
Gen X closely tracks the overall NET across nearly every category. Coverage calibrated to the general audience will resonate strongly with this cohort — no special adjustments required.
- All coverage types at or near the overall NET
- Strong on candidate profiles (52.6%, highest of the three generations)
- Consistent across accountability and access formats alike
- Reliable, broad coverage serves this audience well
Invest in access journalism
Millennials rank accountability content slightly lower but lead on interactive and access-oriented formats. Candidate interviews and live coverage of candidate events are growth levers for this audience.
- Candidate interviews — their relative strength (+4.5 pts vs. Boomers)
- Public meetings and town hall coverage (+5.1 pts vs. Boomers)
- Voter guides are near-universal — strong with this cohort too
- Q&A formats, live coverage, social-native storytelling
Complete dataset: % rating each coverage type "extremely critical"
"All Voters" is the overall percentage across all 3,019 survey respondents — it acts as a weighted average. Above average and Below average show each generation's result vs. the overall figure for that coverage type.
| Coverage type | Millennials | Gen X | Boomers | All Voters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate issue positions | 63.1% | 69.0% | 74.4% | 68.1% |
| Community ballot issues | 56.9% | 61.5% | 64.9% | 60.6% |
| Voter guides & polling info | 52.0% | 54.9% | 55.0% | 53.7% |
| Candidate profiles | 49.5% | 52.6% | 52.0% | 51.1% |
| Voting records | 44.0% | 49.6% | 50.1% | 47.4% |
| Candidate interviews (Millennials lead) | 48.4% | 46.4% | 44.0% | 46.5% |
| Public meetings w/ candidates (Millennials lead) | 41.5% | 39.2% | 36.4% | 39.3% |
Build your 2026 election coverage plan around what voters actually want.
Download the editorial brief.
The full editorial coverage data in a shareable format — ranked coverage priorities, generational breakdown, and strategy by generation.
Access the full suite of 2026 marketing campaign assets.
Campaign materials, research decks, and member resources for the 2026 election cycle — all in one place.
Go to Marketing Campaigns →Download the One Page or Editorial Brief
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