For those who do not know me, I am not surprised.
I am Jaden McKelvey-Francis, the outgoing editor-in-chief of the New Mexico Daily Lobo. There’s an adage within newsrooms across the country of “we are not the story,” meaning that the focus of our content should be on the story being told, rather than the person telling the story.
This is a helpful saying, one of many I have learned over my year as editor-in-chief (journalists love their sayings), but I find it slightly lacking — if people don’t get the news, trust the news, or understand how news is created, how can we complain if they aren’t informed of the news?
This sentiment is not just a feeling; it’s fact. Trust in news has seen a steep decline in recent years, with a 2025 Pew Research Center poll finding 56% of U.S. adults trust national news and 70% trust local news, down from 76% and 82% in 2016, respectively.
Not only is trust in news down, but people are turning to traditional media sources less. Since 2018, the percentage of Americans who say they often or sometimes get local news and information from TV news stations has decreased by 5%, radio stations 4% and newspapers 7%, according to Pew.
The question of how media organizations will adapt to a world where social media is the dominant source of information is one I am ill-equipped to answer, but I don’t think I am the only one struggling with that question.
It can be hard to adapt when outlets are simply fighting for survival. In 2005, there were 8,891 local newspapers across the country; last year, there were 5,419, according to the Local News Initiative. The 20-year change marks a closure of 40% of our local outlets, with most of what’s left located in urban and suburban areas.
Between 2008 and 2019, the number of employees in newspaper newsrooms across the U.S. decreased by 51%, 36 thousand workers, according to Pew.
In New Mexico, the story is the same. Most of those newsrooms are funded through dwindling advertising dollars, according to the New Mexico Local News Fund. There are four counties — nearly 14,000 square miles — in New Mexico without any local outlets, according to the NMLNF.
This digital age has not been beneficial to consumers either. A researcher from New Mexico State University found people who solely consume news through social media are less politically knowledgeable than those who rely on traditional sources.
People are also avoiding news more. Over the past 10 years, the number of people who report to be extremely interested in the news has fallen dramatically and those who haven’t accessed any news source within the past week has steadily increased, according to the Reuters Institute.
I feel the responsibility to mend these problems lies in two places. The first is with the news media. We have to meet our audiences where they are. Of course, this is easier said than done, but if there is a demand for more digital, local, engaging news, then we must provide it.
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We must also regain the public’s trust. We can no longer simply publish articles and expect implicit trust from our readers, letting the reporting speak for itself. We should be showing our process, why and how we make decisions, and showcase the challenges our industry is facing, rather than sweeping them under the rug.
We should be welcoming questions from our communities and responding to them. Most importantly, we need to be doing excellent factual journalism.
If we want the public’s trust, we must earn it.
And to readers, all I ask from you is to stay engaged — do not turn away.
If you don’t like the way something was covered, write us an email or send us a letter to the editor. The easiest way to support local news is to read local news.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the 2025-2026 editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
