In rapid succession, Craigslist took over the classified ads market; print advertising revenue fell off a cliff; readers became accustomed to getting journalism free online and stopped paying for print subscriptions; local TV news stations expanded their web coverage to go head-to-head with daily papers; Google and Facebook gained control over outlets’ readership and local ad markets; owners began cutting back on true local news in favor of cheaper syndicated coverage; and the advent of ad-targeting technology undercut the prices publications could charge.
