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Editorial: Show your support for local news

Sun., July 12, 2020

Local news faces unprecedented challenges. First the internet changed everything. Then hedge funds started buying up newspapers and vivisecting them for profit. Now a pandemic has slashed an already-strained advertising model. If local newspapers are to survive and serve their communities, they need help, help like the Local Journalism Sustainability Act.

If you’re reading this editorial, you’re almost certainly someone who believes in the value of local news. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the free press because the Founders knew that democracy flourishes with independent journalists holding government accountable.

The Spokesman-Review is one of the few remaining locally owned papers in Washington. We’re connected to the community and its stories. Just in the past year, we’ve been on the front lines of rallies and protests over racial inequity. We covered tough city council and mayoral races. We explored the implications of ballot initiatives. We updated stadium debates. We reported on decisions in far-off Olympia that affect residents here. We focused on the challenges of homelessness. And we shared economic news, both good and bad.

Print news (online or on paper) remains the best place to find in-depth coverage of things that matter. Television and independent self-described journalists have a place in the media mix, but they are not a substitute.

Local news is in crisis across America. Things were bad after 20 years of internet-induced realignment as subscribers chose free content online. Then the COVID-19 pandemic became a crisis for news. Advertising remains a crucial source of revenue for newspapers, but by one estimate, newspaper print advertising will decrease by a third this year and not come back.

Local news needs local support if it is to survive the next few years relatively intact. That starts with subscriptions and public good will, but it doesn’t end there. Big, creative solutions are required. Rep. Dan Newhouse hopes to deliver one such solution. He is one of the lead sponsors of a bipartisan proposal called the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. That act would provide a respite in the form of tax credits for subscribers to local newspapers and businesses that purchase ads in local newspapers. The latter is a clever approach in that it not only supports the free press but also supports small businesses that are struggling to reach customers during the pandemic. The act also would provide a payroll credit to local newspapers to continue employing journalists in the community.

That Newhouse, a Republican from Sunnyside, is a leader on this effort is important. He’s working with Democrats, and a bipartisan bill has a chance despite congressional divisions. Perhaps the act could roll into the next COVID-19 stimulus package; perhaps it could pass on its own.

This bill won’t fix everything, but it could provide a needed bridge to the future while even bigger reforms take shape.

If you believe in the value of local news and an informed electorate, take a moment to contact our congressional delegation – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray. Urge them to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act so that the local news Spokane and every community deserves remains possible.