Friend,

When it comes to local journalism, we're already familiar with the bad news — layoffs, newsroom closures and corporate consolidation. But I'm happy to report that the movement to build a new future for local news and civic information is getting stronger. Media makers and organizers are advancing new models of journalism, building support networks and empowering community members to take an active role in civic education. Free Press’ own Media 2070 project is addressing the long history of racism in our media system.

But we need policy change to ensure that communities have the news and information they need. Despite its importance to our democracy and civic health, local journalism has largely remained outside of legislative agendas.

Fortunately, this could soon change, as more and more states follow historic steps taken in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Washington over the past few years. Just this January, I was in Wisconsin to applaud the introduction of a package of bills aimed at tackling the Badger State’s local journalism crisis. ¹

As lawmakers jump into action, we must ensure that these policies are focused on addressing community-information needs and supporting the community publishers, ethnic media outlets and nonprofit newsrooms that will carry us into a new age of connection and civic engagement. Local news is a public good, and one that the commercial market alone cannot produce enough of. Legislators should act accordingly.

Here’s what you should know about a busy couple of months in local-news policy:

• We’ve opposed the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) for the past year because of its severe risk of backfiring and lining the pockets of the wealthy. ² While that bill will be reintroduced, there’s a much more promising bill moving forward in the meantime: This bill would tax tech platforms’ massive ad profits to raise $500 million for local and nonprofit news. We’re fighting to make sure that money doesn’t find its way to the likes of Fox and Sinclair. ³
• The Empire State Local News Coalition — comprised of more than 200 newspapers in New York — drove the passage of a payroll tax-credit provision valued at $90 million that will help news outlets hire more reporters. ⁴ This marks the first time that such an idea was enacted into law anywhere in the country. Advocates are now shifting their focus from passage to implementation.
• Illinois is advancing a sweeping package of bills that originated from a task force that interviewed Free Press Action staff and used our research and analysis. The Strengthening Community Media Act would include tax credits for newsrooms that hire qualified journalists — and a state-funded journalism-scholarship program — among other provisions.

The action in these state legislatures is a taste of what’s to come in the next few years. Free Press Action remains committed to working with civic-media practitioners, community members and legislators to prioritize community-information needs: Centering independent, community-rooted and nonprofit newsrooms will lead us to a more sustainable and equitable future for local news.

We’ll keep you posted on future developments to keep communities informed.

Best,

Alex and the Free Press Action team
freepress.net

P.S. Help Free Press Action keep fighting for policies that will give people the news and information they need: Donate today.

1. “Free Press Action Applauds Groundbreaking Series of Wisconsin Bills Addressing the Crisis in Local News,” Free Press Action, Jan. 30, 2024

2. Free Press Action Report: Crumbs for California, Free Press Action, Nov. 9, 2023

3. “Re: SB 1327 - Data Extraction Mitigation Fee Bill to Support Local News,” Free Press Action, April 23, 2024

4. “Empire State Local News Coalition Celebrates Inclusion of $90 Million Local Media Tax Credit in Final FY 2025 New York State Budget,” Office of New York State Sen. Hoylman-Sigal, April 21, 2024