Friend,

With the coronavirus spreading rapidly throughout our country, getting reliable and timely news on what’s happening in your community is more crucial than ever before.

But local newspapers and media outlets were already beyond a crisis point before COVID-19 reached the United States — and without immediate help they could go extinct. That’s why Free Press Action has created a $5-billion plan to keep communities informed during this emergency,¹ including proposals to double federal support for public media and fund newsroom jobs to keep local reporters working.

Tell Congress to provide an emergency journalism stimulus now to keep each and every one of our communities safe and informed during the coronavirus pandemic.

We are in the middle of an unprecedented global health emergency and economic crisis. We need journalists on the ground to keep us informed, safe and healthy.

To make sure that every single person in the United States has the information they need — especially communities of color and immigrant communities that have been devastated by this crisis — our plan aims to invest in outlets telling the stories of communities most impacted by lost wages, school closures and the digital divide. These are the same communities that mainstream outlets traditionally ignore or misrepresent.

If we act boldly now, we can not only save jobs but we can begin laying the groundwork for the kind of media so desperately needed in this country — media that put community needs ahead of profits.

TAKE ACTION: Demand that Congress provide an emergency journalism stimulus today.

We have a plan for how to get this done and make sure the money goes to the journalists and communities who need it most. But to make it happen, we need Washington policymakers to pay attention. To do that, we need your help.

Stay home if you can and stay safe,

Craig, Mike, Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net

P.S. The need to keep our communities informed during the coronavirus pandemic couldn’t be more urgent. Help protect the kind of local journalism we need right now: Tell Congress to pass an emergency journalism stimulus today.

1. “Journalism Needs a Stimulus. Here’s What It Should Look Like,” Columbia Journalism Review, March 24, 2020