Three decades after Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the first web server, the technologies that once promised to usher in a new era of democracy are now also being used to spread disinformation and sow distrust. Amid a global pandemic and the contentious political events surrounding...

There is a widening gulf between American aspirations for and assessments of the news media. With each passing benchmark study, the American people render deeper and increasingly polarised judgments about the news media and how well it is fulfilling its role in American democracy.

This report, commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, finds that people with access to arts and cultural amenities are more deeply attached to their communities, but equitable access continues to be challenging for communities of colour.

This report is a summary of what has been learned through interviews, both quantitative and qualitative, with more than 14,000 voting-eligible Americans. The result is multilevel snapshot of non-voting America one year out from the 2020 presidential election.

The findings in this study present a dilemma for local news. The data suggest that moving into more aggressive coverage of social and political issues could further polarise views — and possibly lead to an erosion of trust. However, these are not issues that local...