For decades, local journalism in Jerusalem has given residents a dependable window into their own city. Long before social media and neighborhood WhatsApp groups, newspapers like “Yediot Jerusalem” and “mynet Jerusalem” documented the stories that shaped daily life: education, community struggles, small businesses, cultural events and city politics that rarely reached the national press.
Now, with “Yediot Ahronot” preparing to close its entire network of local newspapers by the end of 2025 – a move that could leave dozens of workers without a job – journalists in Jerusalem describe a painful sense of uncertainty. Some hope a digital presence will remain, while others quietly prepare for the worst.
mynet Jerusalem and the fight for local journalism
Jerusalem has always needed a strong local press. It is a city layered with identity, culture, disputes, religion, neighborhoods and competing narratives. Losing its local newspaper is not merely a business decision – it is the disappearance of a voice that preserved the city’s stories.
A veteran reporter says: “It feels like the end of an era. We’ve watched competitors shrink – fewer pages, fewer reporters, less presence in the field – and we knew it would eventually reach us. We hoped Jerusalem would be different, because readers here care about local news, but everything now stands on the edge.” A younger journalist adds: “After the first layoff waves around the country we tried to stay optimistic. But as more closures appeared, it became harder to ignore. Still, if there’s one city where something might survive, it’s Jerusalem.”
For years, “Yediot Jerusalem” and “mynet Jerusalem” covered the city at street level: neighborhood committees, minor disputes, cultural and community events, activism, local victories and failures. It was journalism of names and faces, not just headlines.
Today, between realism and hope, Jerusalem’s journalists wait. In a city where nothing is final until the very last moment, this story, too, remains unwritten.
