UNM maps media coverage across New Mexico

New Mexico news coverage is facing a serious strain, according to the newly released 2025 New Mexico Local News Ecosystem Report. This study found that two-thirds of New Mexicans report not having access to trustworthy news in their communities, indicating large media deserts across the state.

Media deserts are mainly found in rural parts of the state where there are no news outlets for miles. Moreover, non-English speakers have few options for listening to news in their primary language.

The researchers found that most of the eastern and southern parts of the state receive their news from close Texas towns that treat New Mexico news as secondary. Moreover, the vast majority of New Mexico-based coverage comes from Albuquerque, leaving rural residents frustrated that their areas are not represented in the news.

Above all, the New Mexico News Map is a public service project that encourages the public to use and find opportunities to increase access to news. It also shows the importance of local news coverage and where interventions are needed within New Mexico's news industry. Also, making it a call to action.

UNM part-time professor and longtime journalist, Gwyneth Doland, and founder and CEO of MVM Consultants and former UNM professor, Michael Marcotte, led the study to analyze and map New Mexico's local news coverage.

This research project and report impact diverse groups, including news consumers, journalists, policymakers and funders.

The New Mexico News Map study began a year ago when the New Mexico Local News Fund approached Doland and Marcotte to take on this crucial project. Doland then applied for and received a research grant from the UNM Center for Regional Studies to help fund it.

"This study was the first step in improving New Mexico's local news distribution challenges," said Doland. "The New Mexico Local News Fund needed to understand the scope of New Mexico's ecosystem to determine what kinds of interventions are necessary to improve access to local news."

"The biggest impact of this report is that it raises public awareness about a systemic problem," Marcotte said. "Media deserts are a nationwide issue, not just a New Mexico issue. We began examining the local news ecosystem in 2016, and this report builds on the research we've conducted ever since."

Newsrooms are facing many challenges in the modern world, including declining advertising revenue, the need to invest in new digital technologies, and the public's changing preferences for information on social media. All of which are impacting local news channels.

The project mapped 139 news outlets in New Mexico, finding that the majority have small news staffs (less than 10 full-time staff) and very modest operating budgets.

The report also finds some hopeful signs as it explores the fast-changing local news environment. Many outlets are adapting to digital platforms, including some small startups with a highly local focus. There is a growing number of nonprofit newsrooms, and there is a trend toward newsroom-to-newsroom collaboration.

Doland and Marcotte used several data-collection methods, including news producer surveys, content analysis, consumer surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews with media professionals, to add context to their data.

The news map also shows the specific companies currently working to inform communities. These entities include daily newspapers, tribal radio stations, digital startups and even student-run publications.

The map reveals that most news outlets are concentrated in Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Doña Ana counties, the state's most populous areas. Additionally, four counties lack local news outlets, including Catron, Hardin and Mora, while eight counties have only one, even in regions with a significant population, like Valencia and Chavez.

"This kind of research is meant to be updated over time," Doland said. Ideally, people use this current information to create new companies that innovate or revive low-news areas, and then we measure how that changes the landscape."

"We hope that this report encourages more people to look for high-quality news about their area and if they don't find it that they are inspired to start up something new," she said.

To view the interactive map and read the full report, visit the website.