The crisis in local news has accelerated rapidly in recent years. Just how stark is the situation? Between late 2019 and May 2022, more than 360 American newspapers closed — and on average two papers per week continue to shutter across the country, according to Northwestern University’s Medill School. The decline of local news is deeply disturbing, but the prospects for emerging solutions are encouraging. Today, we’re publishing a series of essays from industry leaders that will serve as Signposts for the Future to help newsrooms answer the question, “What now?"