Penny Abernathy

Penelope Muse Abernathy (born August 28, 1951) is an American journalist, former media executive, author and researcher who specializes in the study of news deserts. In 2008, after senior management roles at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, she became the Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2021, she was appointed a visiting professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Education

Abernathy received a bachelor's degree in history with a secondary emphasis in English literature and journalism from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1973. She earned her M.B.A. from Columbia University in 1985 and a master's degree in journalism in 2003.

Career Early in her career, Abernathy was the editorial assistant to Roy Parker Jr., the editor of The Fayetteville Times. Between 1973 and 1984, she worked as a reporter and editor at various newspapers such as The Charlotte Observer, The Dallas Times-Herald, and The Wichita Eagle-Beacon.

Abernathy was publisher of the Harvard Business Review between 1999 and 2002.

She joined The Wall Street Journal in 2003 and, as senior vice president was responsible for the business operations of the newspaper's international publications and for planning major U.S. initiatives, such as the launch of weekend edition in 2005.

She was inducted into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Alumni Professional Achievement Award from UNC at Greensboro in 2023.

Research Abernathy's research has focused on the impact of news deserts and the development of business models that would help to sustain community journalism. Between 2014 and 2023, she was the author or co-author of two books and six reports that explored the state of local news, including the decline of local newspapers, the implications for communities and democracy, and solutions for halting the rise of news deserts.

Abernathy has also examined how ownership of newspapers by investment groups, including private equity and hedge funds, has contributed to the rise of news deserts and ghost newspapers while diminishing local accountability and transparency for both news organizations and elected officials.

Abernathy authored or co-authored six reports exploring the political, social and economic consequences resulting from the loss of local news: "The Rise of a New Media Baron and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts" published by UNC Center for Innovation & Sustainability in Local Media (CISLM) in 2016. “Thwarting the Emergence of News Deserts” published by UNC CISLM in 2017. “The Expanding News Desert” published by UNC CISLM in 2018. “News Deserts and Ghost Newspapers: Will Local News Survive?” published by UNC CISLM in 2020. The State of Local News 2022 published by Northwestern University's Local News Initiative (LNI) The State of Local News Report 2023 published by Northwestern University's LNI.