How women in 2 small towns keep their hometown newspapers thriving

KEY POINTS

Local news in America is struggling, with 75% fewer journalists and 3,200 fewer newspapers than 20 years ago.

Two women in Nebraska run beloved hometown newspapers that buck all of U.S. media's statistics.

With mettle, passion and a clear eyed view on what their readers want, they deliver what really matters to residents.

Gerri Peterson started her career as a reporter in the eighth grade, writing for her hometown’s weekly, the Hooker County Tribune , in Mullen, Nebraska.

She saw a job listing for someone to cover high school sports, and her mother called the then owner, Lanita Evans, to get permission for a junior high kid to apply.

Peterson recalled that Evans was enthusiastic. “Absolutely,” she said.

She began by covering the Mullen Bronco’s basketball teams. Later,