May 5, 2020
Dear Members of Congress,
Amid this global pandemic, Americans have turned in massive numbers to local news for the latest and most trusted information. But what happens when essential, and even life-saving information, cannot be found?
The local news industry — already shrunken and frail — is now collapsing. Layoffs and furloughs are spreading. As the nation grapples with COVID-19, this is no time to lose this flow of critical information.
We sometimes think of “the media” as national TV or newspaper companies. But there are also thousands of locally-owned and non-profit news organizations, including weekly community newspapers, citywide nonprofit websites, ethnic publications, family-owned dailies, centers for state watchdog journalism, digital-only news sites, public radio and TV stations and other providers of community news. They are deeply rooted in small towns and neighborhoods, overwhelmingly nonpartisan and employing thousands. They are in peril.
There is a history of skepticism among many journalists about the government funding local news. But this diverse group of local publishers, journalists and advocates have come together around these particular broad-based proposals that would significantly help, without entangling government in the operation of the free press, encroaching upon editorial independence, or allowing for government favoritism, from any political party or ideology. These proposals are based on a few simple principles:
Saving local and nonprofit news is a nonpartisan, non-ideological issue. All Americans need objective, fair-minded and accurate local information to protect their families, represent their communities and make smart choices about health, schools, and elections. Studies have shown that communities with weak local news have more government waste, more pollution, more polarization and a less engaged electorate.
Local news is essential for our physical health and the economic health of Main Street. Public health experts say that residents are safer when they are better informed and more engaged. Local news is also important for the economic and civic health of Main Street. Realtors, automotive dealers, restaurants and other small businesses rely on local news to engage with customers. Elected officials need it to interact with their constituents. And a well-informed citizenry is essential to solving local problems. Local news knits together communities.
The future of local news must be truly grounded in communities. Efforts to help local news should be forward-looking, not only plugging gaps but encouraging the growth of local news systems that will be more innovative, sustainable, independent, representative and, above all, even more rooted in communities and truly serving the public.
The following proposals would help save local news now while laying the foundation for a more civic-minded media in the future:
Deploy federal advertising budgets to help both public health and local news. According to the General Accounting Office, the federal government spends roughly $1 billion on advertising (for military recruitment, the Census, public health etc). The government should now spend at least an additional $1 billion on public health advertising over the next twelve months. These paid announcements will be especially important as communities re-open for business. Half of all federal advertising spending should reach the public via local media. This is money the government is already prepared to spend; doing so through local media will enhance its impact, provide important, accurate, life-saving public information, and help local news at the same time. In addition, another $1 billion in public service ads should be spent to jump-start military recruitment, support Census implementation, and help businesses get back on their feet.
Crucially, half of that local news allotment should go to locally-owned local news organizations — including rural and ethnic papers — and non-profit organizations (as underwriting sponsorships). This can be done efficiently and effectively.
COVID-19 recedes, half of the federal government’s ad spending should continue to flow to the public through local media in order to build a stronger local news system for the future. This can, and must, be done in a way that doesn’t endanger editorial independence.
Prevent massive layoffs and closures. The Paycheck Protection Program is often not reaching the local journalists who are providing essential COVID-19 information. To avoid more lost jobs, it should be extended for six months to frontline essential businesses, including local journalists. We applaud the feature in the current PPP that turns loans into grants for organizations that retain workers. To help strengthen local, independent journalism, Congress should also provide refundable tax credits for hiring reporters or allow companies to treat money spent on journalism as tax free. Note: the shortcoming of tax credits is that they will not help tax exempt, nonprofit news organizations that now provide so much important local news, nor many of the local and ethnic newspapers that show little profit.
Encourage the re-planting of newspapers that are currently owned by chains or private equity firms. COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of more mergers. We need a strategy to re-plant newspapers back into communities. Let’s provide an enhanced charitable tax deduction to any chain that converts a local newspaper into a nonprofit or donates to an existing community non-profit; or provide a tax credit if they sell to a public-purpose B corporation, co-op or other entity with a public service mission. Meanwhile, to allow these mission-oriented publications to develop sturdy streams of revenue, the IRS should make news subscriptions tax deductible, affirm that journalism can be considered a charitable purpose and clarify that nonprofits can take advertising without jeopardizing their tax exempt status or being taxed on that revenue.
It is also time for Congress to consider broadening financial support of nonprofit news organizations that are trying to fill news deserts, similar to its support of public broadcasters. Although it must be done in ways that preserve complete editorial independence from government influence, the crisis in local news is so severe, such approaches must be now weighed.
These steps would help local media survive so it can continue to inform local communities about COVID-19. Just as important, it recognizes that even before the disintegration of the industry, there were many topics and communities that were not adequately covered. These policies would help create a better local media system in the future.
Sincerely,
The Institute for Nonprofit News
National Newspaper Association
Local Independent Online News
The National Newspaper Publishers Association
The National Association of Hispanic Publications
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
The American Journalism Project
The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project
Chalkbeat
Contact: Steven Waldman, co-founder and President, Report for America, swaldman@reportforamerica.org
WHO WE REPRESENT
The Institute for Nonprofit News
(partial list, local news members)
Adirondack Explorer
Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism
Alhambra Source
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
Arkansas Nonprofit News
Aspen Journalism
Austin Bulldog
Auston Monitor
Baltimore Brew
Bay City News Foundation
Bay Journal
Bay Nature Institute
Belt Magazine
Benito Link
Berkeleyside
Block Club Chicago
Boyle Heights Beat
Breckenridge Texan
Bridge Magazine
California Health Report
CALmatters
Capitol News Illinois
Carolina Public Press
Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Chicago Reporter
Chicago Reports
Cicero Independiente
City Bureau
City Limits, New York
Civic Story
The Colorado Independent
Columbia Insight
Connecticut Health and Investigative Team
Crosscut
The CT Mirror
Daily Yonder
DCist
Delaware Currents
East Lansing Info
ecoRi News
Ed Source
Eye on Ohio
Flint Beat
Florida Bulldog
Florida Center for Investigative REporting
Foothills Forum
Georgia Health News
Georgia News Lab
Hartford Guardian
Hidden City Philadelphia
High Country News
Highlands Current
Honolulu Civil Beat
Hoptown Chronicle
Idaho Education News
Inewsource
Investigate West
Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism
KCUR
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting
Key Peninsula News
KPBS
KyForward
LkldNow
Lower Cape TV
Madison 365
Maryland Matters
MarylandReporter.com
Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
MinnPost
Mission Local
Mississippi Today
MLK50
Mongabay
Montana Free Press
Mountain Independent
Mountain Journal
Nancy on Norwalk
New England Center for Investigative Reporting
New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism
New Haven Independent
New Mexico In Depth
Next City
NJ Spotlight
North Carolina Health News
North Suburban News
Northern Kentucky Tribune
Oklahoma Watch
Outlier Media
PA Post
Patagonia REgional Times
Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Pine Tree Watch
Public Source
Rivard Report
Rochester Beacon
Rocky Mountain PBS
Sahan Journal
San Francisco Public Press
San Jose Spotlight
Searchlight New Mexico
South Dakota News Watch
South Side Weekly
Southerly
Spotlight PA
St. Louis Public Radio
Texas Observer
Texas Tribune
The Badger Project
The Bedford Citizen
The City
The Hummel Report
The Lens
The Narwhal
The Nevada Independent
The Seattle Globalist
The Tyler Loop
The Utah Investigative Journalism Project
Tucson Sentinel
Voice of OC
Voice of San Diego
Voices of Monterey Bay
VT Digger
Wausau Pilot and Review
WDET
WFYI
WHYY
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism`
WitnessLA
WJCT
WyoFile
National Newspaper Association
Monroe Journal, The Monroeville AL
Ballard County Weekly, The Wickliffe KY
Bartlett Express, The Bartlett TN
Buffalo River Review, The Linden TN
Camden Chronicle, The Camden TN
Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon TN
Chester County Independent, Henderson TN
Collierville Herald-Independent, The Bartlett TN
Collierville Independent, The Bartlett TN
Crockett County Times, The Alamo TN
Lake County Banner, The Tiptonville TN
Leader, The Covington TN
Millington Star, The Bartlett TN
News-Democrat, The Waverly TN
Shelby Sun Times, The Bartlett TN
Wayne County News, The Waynesboro TN
Douglas Budget, Douglas WY
Glenrock Independent, Glenrock WY
Gillette News Record, Gillette WY
Cody Enterprise, Cody WY
Freeman Courier, Freeman SD
Swift County Monitor-News, Benson MN
Grant County Herald Elbow, Lake MN
Stevens County Times, The Morris MN
Cass County Reporter, Casselton ND
Green River Star, The Green River WY
Independent Record, Thermopolis WY
Leelanau Enterprise, Lake Leelanau MI
Mobridge Tribune, Mobridge SD
Newport Miner/Gem State Miner, Newport WA
Nugget Newspaper LLC, The Sisters OR
Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, Omak WA
Philipsburg Mail, The Philipsburg MT
Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader, Port Townsend WA
Potter County News, Gettysburg SD
Ransom County Gazette, Lisbon ND
Sargent County Teller, The Milnor ND
Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton WA
Silver State Post Deer, Lodge MT
Traill County Tribune, Mayville ND
West River Eagle Eagle, Butte SD
Eastern Times Register, The Vian OK
Eufaula Indian Journal, The Eufaula OK
Henryetta Free-Lance, Henryetta OK
McIntosh County Democrat, Eufaula OK
Okmulgee Times, Okmulgee OK
Sallisaw Printing, Sallisaw OK
Sequoyah County, Times Sallisaw OK
Vian Tenkiller News, Vian OK
Bristow News & Record Citizen, The Bristow OK
Castro County News, Dimmitt TX
Cibola Citizen, Grants NM
Cordell Beacon, The Cordell OK
Dublin Citizen, the Dublin TX
Geary Star, The Geary OK
Hinton Record, The Hinton OK
Lamb County Leader News Littlefield TX
Lincoln County News, The (OK) Chandler OK
Madill Record, The Madill OK
San Saba News & Star, San Saba TX
Walters Herald, The Walters OK
Watonga Republican, The Watonga OK
Detroit Legal News, Detroit MI
Oakland County Legal News, Troy MI
Macomb County Legal News, Mount Clemens MI
Genesee County Legal News, Clio MI
Washtenaw County Legal News, Ann Arbor MI
Ingham County Legal News, Mason MI
Jackson County Legal News, Jackson MI
Grand Rapids Legal News, Grand Rapids MI
Muskegon Legal News, Muskegon MI
Local Independent Online News
(Partial list)
Magnolia Reporter
Coachella Valley Independent
Escondido Grapevine
Detroit Detour
Lake County News
Long Beach Post
Valley News Now
Treasure Coast News
Mainstreet Daily News Gainesville
Decaturish
Cobb County Courier
Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle
The Lansing Journal
Shawnee Mission Post
Ohio County Monitor
Bayou Brief
The Bedford Citizen
East Lansing Info
Farmington Voice
Deep South Voice
New Burn Now
Omaha Reader
Redbank Green
Tapinto Westfield
Grant County Beat
Carson Now
The Batavian
Roosevelt Islander Online
Watershed Post
Bushwick Daily
Peekskill Herald 2.0
The River Newsroom
The Devil Stip
Oklahoma City Free Press
Luther Register
Gales Creek Journal
Levittown Now
Sanatoga Post
Franklin County Free Press
Tube City Almanac
NorthcentralPA
Sioux Falls Business
Rutherford Source
Brentwood Home Page
Oak Ridge Today
Rio Grande Guardian
What’s Up Prince William
Chester Telegraph
My Edmonds News
Racine County Eye
The Oshkosh Examiner
Oil City News
Sweetwater Now
County 10
National Newspaper Publishers Association
A King Size View
African News Digest
African-American News and Issues — Dallas
African-American News and Issues — Houston
African-American News and Issues — San Antonio
Afro American Times
Afro-American — Baltimore
Afro-American — Washington
Alexandria News Weekly
Arizona Informant
Atlanta Daily World
Atlanta Inquirer
Atlanta Tribune the Magazine
Atlanta Voice
Bakersfield News Observer
Birmingham Times
Black Voice News
Buffalo Criterion
Call & Post — Cleveland
Call & Post — Columbus
Capital Outlook
Carolina Peacemaker
Challenge Group
Chatham-Southeast Citizen
Chicago Crusader
Chicago Defender
Chicago Standard Chicago Weekend
Columbus Times
Community Times
CrossRoadsNews
Dallas Examiner
Dallas Post Tribune
Data News Weekly
Dayton Defender
Daytona Times
Denver Weekly News
East St. Louis Monitor
East Texas Review
Final Call
Florida Courier
Florida Sentinel Bulletin
Florida Star
Florida Sun
Frost Illustrated
Garland Journal
Gary Crusader
Grand Rapids Times
Greater Diversity News
Greene County Democrat
Harlem News Group
Houston Defender
Houston Forward Times
Houston Style Magazine
Hudson Valley Press
Hyde Park Citizen
Indiana Herald
Indianapolis Recorder
Inglewood Today
Inner-City Newspaper
Insight News
Jackson Advocate
Jacksonville Free Press
Jersey City Daily Challenge
Kansas City Call
L.A. Focus Newspaper
L.A. Watts Times
La Vida News — The Black Voice — Fort Worth NOKOA, the Observer
Los Angeles Sentinel
Louisiana Weekly
Louisville Defender
Macon Courier
Memphis Silver Star News
Metro Courier
Metro Home Maker
Michigan Chronicle
Michigan Citizen
Michigan Front Page
Milwaukee Community Journal
Milwaukee Courier
Milwaukee Times Weekly
Minneapolis Spokesman Reporter
Mississippi Link
Mobile Beacon-Citizen
Muslim Journal
Nashville Pride
New American of New York
New Jersey City News
New Journal & Guide
New Orleans Tribune
New Pittsburgh Courier
New York Amsterdam News
New York Beacon
New York Carib News
New York Daily Challenge
North Dallas Gazette
Oakland Post — Alameda
Omaha Star
Orlando Advocate
Our Weekly
Pasadena San Gabriel Valley — Latino Journal
Pensacola Voice
Politic365
Portland Observer
Portland Skanner
Precinct Reporter
Richmond Free Press
Sacramento Observer
San Antonio Observer
San Bernardino American News
San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
San Francisco Sun Reporter
Savannah Herald
Savannah Tribune
Seattle Medium
Seattle Skanner
Shreveport Sun
South Carolina Black News
South End Citizen
South Florida Times
South Jersey Journal
South Suburban Standard
Southwest Digest
Southwest Georgian — Albany
Speakin’ Out News
St. Louis American
St. Louis Metro Sentinel
Tacoma True Citizen
Telegram News, The Ecrose
Texas Metro News
The Baltimore Times
The Black Chronicle
The Buckeye Review
The California Advocate
The Carolina Times
The Carolinian
The Charleston Chronicle
The Charlotte Post
The Christian Recorder
The Cincinnati Herald
The Communicator News
The County News
The Courier Eco Latino
The Dallas Weekly
The Houston Sun
The Legacy Newspaper
The Madison Times Weekly
The Miami Times
The Philadelphia Observer
The Philadelphia Tribune
The Reporter — Akron
The Tennessee Tribune
The Times Weekly
The Triangle Tribune
The Tulsa Oklahoma Eagle
The Villager
The Weekly Challenger
Toledo Journal
Tri-County Sentry
Tri-State Defender
Walls Communications
Washington Informer
Wave Community Newspapers
Westchester County Press
Westside Gazette
Wilmington Journal
Windy City Word
Winston-Salem Chronicle
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
KVRF, Palmer, AK
KIBH, Seward, AK
KCAW, Sitka, AK
KTNA, Talkeetna, AK
KZRJ-LP, Jerome, AZ
KUYI, Kykotsmovi, AZ
KPUP-LP, Patagonia, AZ
KWLP, Peach Springs, AZ
KOHN, Sells, AZ
KGHR, Tuba City, AZ
KVAN-LP, Tucson, AZ
KNNB, Whiteriver, AZ
KOYT-LP, Anza, CA
KBPT-LP, Bishop, CA
KNVC-LP, Carson City, CA
KDUP, Cedarville, CA
KYBU, Covelo, CA
KDRT-LP, Davis, CA
KECG, El Cerrito, CA
KNYO-LP, Fort Bragg, CA
KCPK-LP, Frazier Park, CA
KFCF, Fresno, CA
KSJV, Fresno, CA
KFOK-LP, Georgetown, CA
KGUA, Gualala, CA
KIDE, Hoopa, CA
KPFZ, Lakeport, CA
KPHT-LP, Laytonville, CA
KCBP, Modesto, CA
KMPO, Modesto, CA
KKRN, Montgomery Creek, CA
KCMU-LP, Napa CA
KVMR, Nevada City, CA
KCSN, Northridge, CA
KIND-LP, Oxnard, CA
KOPA, Pala, CA
KPDO-LP, Pescadero, CA
KPCA-LP, Petaluma, CA
KZYX, Philo, CA
KWMR, Point Reyes Station, CA
KQNY, Quincy, CA
KMUD, Redway, CA
KUBU-LP, Sacramento, CA
KNSJ, San Diego, CA
KALW, San Francisco, CA
KQED, San Francisco, CA
KSFP-LP, San Francisco, CA
KCSB, Santa Barbara, CA
KSQD, Santa Cruz, CA
KBBF, Santa Rosa, CA
KRJF-LP, Santa Rosa, CA
KPPQ-LP, Ventura, CA
KGNU, Boulder, CO
KDNK, Carbondale, CO
KBUT, Crested Butte, CO
KUVO, Denver, CO
KDUR, Durango, CO
KAFM, Grand Junction, CO
KWSI-LP, Grand Junction, CO
KVNF, Paonia, CO
KLZR, Westcliffe, CO
WPKN, Bridgeport, CT
WWUH, West Hartford, CT
WRAS, Atlanta, GA
WRUU-LP, Savannah, GA
KKCR, Hanalei, HI
KNKR-LP, Hawi, HI
KMNO, Wailuku, HI
KEMB-LP, Emmetsburg, IA
KICI-LP, Iowa City, IA
KRBX, Boise, ID
KIYE, Kamiah, ID
KRFY, Sandpoint, ID
WEFT, Champaign, IL
WHIW-LP, Harvard, IL
WFHB, Bloomington, IN
WELT-LP, Fort Wayne, IN
WMMT, Whitesburg, KY
WWOZ, New Orleans, LA
WVAO-LP, Athol, MA
WSCS, Needham, MA
WJOP-LP, Newburyport, MA
WOMR, Provincetown, MA
WCUW, Worcester, MA
WHCP-LP, Cambridge, MD
WBYC-LP, Crisfield, MD
WOWD-LP, Takoma Park, MD
WBFY-LP, Belfast, ME
WERU, East Orland, ME
WMPG, Portland, ME
WYAR, Yarmouth, ME
WYCE, Grand Rapids, MI
WTIP, Grand Marais, MN
KFAI, Minneapolis, MN
KBFT, Nett Lake, MN
KOPN, Columbia, MO
KKFI, Kansas City, MO
KGLT/KGLZ, Bozeman MT
KGVM, Bozeman, MT
KGVA, Harlem, MT
WSFM-LP, Asheville, NC
WCOM-LP, Carrboro, NC
WNCU, Durham, NC
WDFC-LP, Greensboro, NC
KZUM, Lincoln, NE
WFMU, Jersey City, NJ
WPRB, Princeton, NJ
WDVR, Sergeantsville, NJ
KABR, Alamo, NM
KUNM, Albuquerque, NM
KCZY, Crownpoint, NM
KTAL-LP, Las Cruces, NM
KTDB, Pine Hill, NM
WGXC, Acra, NY
WAMC, Albany, NY
WRFI, Ithaca, NY
WRFA-LP, Jamestown, NY
WJFF, Jeffersonville, NY
WLNF, Lockport, NY
WOVU-LP, Cleveland, OH
WAKT-LP, Toledo, OH
KCNP, Ada, OK
KPOV, Bend, OR
KCIW-LP, Brookings, OR
KEPW-LP, Eugene, OR
KSKQ, Medford, OR
KCUW, Pendleton, OR
KBOO, Portland, OR
KMUZ, Salem, OR
KMWV, Salem, OR
KTUP, Salem, OR
KWSO, Warm Springs, OR
WRCT, Pittsburgh, PA
WZUM, South Park, PA
WLGI, Heminway, SC
KDKO, Lake Andes, SD
WDVX, Knoxville, TN
WEVL, Memphis, TN
WUMR, Memphis, TN
WXNA-LP, Nashville, TN
KNON, Dallas, TX
KRTS, Marfa, TX
KWVH-LP, Wimberley, TX
KZMU, Moab, UT
KRCL, Salt Lake City, UT
KUAA-LP, Salt Lake City UT
WERA-LP, Arlington, VA
WBCM-LP, Bristol, VA
WTJU, Charlottesville, VA
WEBR, Fairfax, VA
WRIR-LP, Richmond, VA
WQSV-LP, Staunton, VA
WOOL, Bellows Falls, VT
WGDR, Plainfield, VT
WFVR-LP, South Royalton, VT
WMRW-LP, Warren, VT
KBCS, Bellevue, WA
UWave, Bothell, WA
KAPY-LP, Duvall, WA
KSER, Everett, WA
KLOI-LP, Lopez Island, WA
KSVR, Mount Vernon, WA
KAOS, Olympia, WA
KPTZ, Port Townsend, WA
KBFG-LP, Seattle, WA
KGHI, Westport, WA
WORT, Madison, Wi
WXPR, Rhinelander, WI
WDRT, Viroqua, WI
WVMR, Dunmore, WV
WKYW-LP, Keyser, WV
KHOL, Jackson, WY
