"It's not a journalism problem.
It's a democracy problem."
That's what a journalism professor at Washington State University in Pullman has to say about the state of local news in Washington state.
Over the past 15 years, the state has lost one-fifth of its newspapers, according to a recent study by the League of Women Voters of Washington.
We've also lost two-thirds of our newspaper staffs.
"The Washington situation sadly mirrors a crisis facing all of the United States: According to national research, we've lost one-fourth of our newspapers," Benjamin Shors tells the Seattle Times.
"The local news crisis is daunting," says the CEO of the foundation leading the Yakima Free Press Campaign, "but we are doing our utmost to ensure we are well position to maintain local journalism."
The campaign has raised more than $575,000 to keep the Herald-Republic and its sister paper, El Sol de Yakima, open.
The group plans to seek grant money from national nonprofits to expand digital access to the paper to low-income residents.
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