GALLUP, NM – The Gallup Independent, a longtime newspaper serving the Gallup area and communities near the Navajo Nation, has published its final issue, citing steep economic headwinds and a sharp drop in print readership and advertising revenue.
According to information published in the Independent’s final edition, the print-only newspaper was run by the Zollinger family for decades and at one point reached a circulation of about 18,000 in 2006. Its final run was reported at just under 5,000. The paper attributed the decline to multiple pressures, including the rise of social media, the COVID19 pandemic, higher newsprint costs, tariff impacts on materials, and reduced advertising. Publisher Bob Zollinger also pointed to broader economic turbulence in Gallup’s economy, tied in part to the rising cost of silver which has impacted local businesses.
The closure leaves the Gallup area with fewer local reporting options, including the weekly Gallup Sun, a monthly arts-and-culture magazine, and local radio stations.
The closure will exacerbate a larger issue facing rural New Mexico: fewer reporters showing up to routine public meetings where decisions are made. In smaller communities, that can mean less day-to-day accountability over school boards, city councils and county commissions.
A recent statewide analysis commissioned by the New Mexico Local News Fund found that nearly half of New Mexico’s local news outlets are concentrated in four metro areas - Albuquerque/ Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Farmington – with other regions relying on small, under-resourced operations. The study also noted ongoing barriers in rural counties, including limited broadband access and fewer options for Native American and Spanish- speaking residents.
McKinley and Cibola counties share a border, a workforce, and a regional information ecosystem – from public safety and health care to schools, sports, and government. When a nearby daily paper disappears, the “coverage map” doesn’t just shrink for one town; it leaves a wider information gap across the entire region.