Today, we’re bringing you a special series from “Marketplace Morning Report” that explores how communities are impacted by the absence of local news coverage, especially in a big election year. As part of the “Democracy in the Desert” series, host David Brancaccio travels to “news deserts” in Texas, North Carolina and Virginia to learn how various business models are struggling to inform voters, and where newspaper economics went wrong.

Pledge your monthly support for our newsroom and your donations will be matched for a full year by the Investors Challenge Fund!