A version of the following article appeared in the May 11, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Charlotte media coverage skews heavily toward uptown, while many neighborhoods barely register, new study shows
Of Charlotte’s 183 census tracts, Tract 5.01 in uptown was referenced in 487 local articles in a 12-month period in 2024-25, the most of any census tract. (Image courtesy of Shutterstock)
by Tony Mecia
A new analysis of more than 18,000 stories from Charlotte media organizations over the course of a year shows that uptown received a disproportionate share of coverage, while many other parts of the city received very little.
The study, released last month by researchers at Columbia University, examined the types of stories produced by local media, including the geographical locations of the subject matter and the types of organizations producing the material. The goal was to better understand Charlotte’s information needs, which could help philanthropic donors allocate money in ways that are more effective.
It found that of Charlotte’s 183 census tracts, Tract 5.01 — which contains Third Ward uptown, including Bank of America Stadium — was referenced in 487 articles in a 12-month period in 2024-25, the most of any census tract. In the same period, 52 Charlotte census tracts received 10 or fewer mentions.
The study’s authors concluded that articles with identifiable locations tended to “cluster in Center City and other neighborhoods, such as University City South, that contain the airport, hospitals, or event venues.”
It said that while Charlotte’s media scene appears robust, with dozens of outlets, there are still “neighborhoods with content gaps, which we define as areas outlets claim to cover but in fact do not.”
The study also found:
Racial gaps in coverage: “Predominantly Black neighborhoods are more likely to be covered in the context of crime, while predominantly white neighborhoods are more likely to be covered in the context of entertainment,” the study said.
Who’s providing info: The report identified 66 providers of local news in Charlotte. It said about half (32, including The Charlotte Ledger) were “local journalism originators.” The others, which are typically culture and lifestyle outlets, “do not employ journalists or do not provide a watchdog function.”
By medium: Print is still the main medium for 15 Charlotte outlets, or 23% of the total. Websites accounted for another 23%, followed by television (14%), radio (14%), newsletters (11%) and magazines (11%).
Ownership: About 2/3 of Charlotte media organizations studied are locally owned. The remaining 21 nonlocal owners include large media companies such as Axios; TV station owners Charter, Nexstar and Tegna; and McClatchy (which owns The Charlotte Observer). “Local ownership has been shown to be crucial for the quality of local journalism in myriad ways, resulting more often in original reporting about the communities it serves,” the study said.
Communities served: About 29% of the Charlotte media organizations explicitly serve nonwhite or ethnic audiences, including 10 serving Hispanic communities, five aimed at Black Charlotte residents and others serving Jewish, Greek Orthodox and Asian communities.