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What is Local News API?

Local News API is a specialized service focused on U.S. location-specific content. Building on our core News API v3 infrastructure, it adds dedicated location detection capabilities optimized for city, county, and state-level news coverage. The system processes content from thousands of local news sources, including small city publishers, regional outlets, university newspapers, and local government news portals.

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Features

  • Six distinct location detection methods
  • Content from thousands of local U.S. news sources, including city publishers, university newspapers, and government portals
  • Specialized validation of location relevance, not just location mentions

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Key differences from News API v3

For users familiar with our core News API v3, Local News API offers these key enhancements:
FeatureLocal News APINews API v3
Geographic focusU.S. local coverage with specialized location detectionGlobal news coverage
Location handlingBasic NER plus six specialized detection methodsBasic geographic filtering using NER
Historical data30 days of historyUp to 5 years of history
Source typesLocal newspapers, government sites, university outletsMajor publications, international sources

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Location detection methods

The system uses six distinct methods to detect and validate locations in news articles:

Dedicated Source

Identifies articles from news sources exclusively covering a specific location (highest confidence)

Local Section

Identifies locations through dedicated sections in larger publications

Regional Source

Uses regional context to properly interpret and disambiguate location mentions

Standard Format

Identifies locations written in standard formats like “City, State”

Proximity Mention

Detects cities and states mentioned within 15 words of each other

AI Extraction

Uses AI-based content analysis to identify locations (requires AI Extraction plan)
For detailed information on each method, see Location detection methods.

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Base URL

For API requests use the following base URL: 
https://local-news.newscatcherapi.com

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Endpoints

EndpointMethodDescriptionUse Case
/api/searchPOSTFull-text search with location filteringFind articles matching specific criteria for given locations
/api/latest_headlinesPOSTRecent articles by locationMonitor latest news for specific towns or regions
/api/search_byPOSTDirect article lookupRetrieve specific articles using URLs, IDs, or RSS GUIDs
/api/sourcesPOSTAvailable news sourcesDiscover local news providers by region

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Request format

Include your API key in the x-api-token header for each request. All requests must use HTTPS. 
{
  "q": "venture capital",
  "locations": ["San Francisco, California"],
  "detection_methods": ["dedicated_source", "standard_format"],
  "lang": "en",
  "from_": "7 days ago"
}

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Response format

All API responses are JSON objects containing articles and metadata. The key response fields include:
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status
string
The status of the request. Always returns "ok" for successful requests.
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total_hits
integer
The total number of articles matching the query.
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page
integer
The current page number of the results.
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total_pages
integer
The total number of pages available for the given search criteria.
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page_size
integer
The number of articles per page.
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articles
array
An array of article objects, each containing location-specific metadata and content.
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user_input
object
The parameters used in your request for verification and debugging.
For detailed descriptions of all available response fields, refer to the specific endpoint documentation in the Endpoints section.

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Example response

Response
{
  "status": "ok",
  "total_hits": 35,
  "page": 1,
  "total_pages": 1,
  "page_size": 100,
  "articles": [
    {
      "id": "dabf25a5cbee2705f1ab866eeafdc835",
      "locations": [
        {
          "name": "San Francisco, California",
          "detection_methods": ["dedicated_source"]
        }
      ],
      "score": 17.720953,
      "title": "Tech company to move headquarters from San Francisco to Texas"
      // Additional fields omitted for brevity
    }
  ]
}

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Use cases

Local News API is designed for applications requiring location-specific news intelligence:
  • Local news applications: Deliver geographically relevant content to users.
  • Regional business monitoring: Track company activities in specific markets.
  • Real estate intelligence: Monitor development news, policy changes, and market trends.
  • Media analysis: Examine coverage patterns across geographic regions.
  • Government affairs: Track policy issues at local and regional levels.
  • Crisis monitoring: Follow emergencies and public health issues by location.
  • University research: Analyze local media coverage of regional issues.

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Getting started

  1. Visit our pricing page to get your API key.
  2. Follow the Quickstart guide to make your first request and comprehend the basic workflow.
  3. Review the Location detection methods documentation to understand how the system identifies and validates location mentions.
  4. Dive into the API reference for detailed endpoint documentation and advanced query options.