College newspaper sweeps up 2 tiny publications in a volley against growing news deserts

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
Associated Press

Student journalists across the United States have done their bit to cover small town news for years, but a college paper in Iowa is taking a bigger swing at it. The Daily Iowan of the University of Iowa just bought two struggling weekly papers for an undisclosed price. It’s a deal believed to be the first of its kind. The students are already redoing the newspaper websites and soon plan to add interns to help write stories. The young journalists will get real-world experience while bringing the towns more news. Campus papers in other American communities are also being distributed more widely to help fill the gap left by disappearing newspapers.