State and Local Efforts
More and more state lawmakers are taking a proactive approach to maintaining, understanding and strengthening their local press. Here are some of the most significant efforts:
California
In 2022, the state legislature allotted $25 million over three years to the journalism school at the University of California-Berkeley to provide fellowships to at least 40 reporters placed in local newsrooms around the state. This proposal emerged after an earlier plan to provide direct aid to newsrooms stalled when journalism groups failed to agree on the approach.
In the 2023 session, Rep. Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) introduced a bill modeled after the federal Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (AB 886), but structured as a fee calculation instead of a bargained deal between publishers and platforms. In the California version, a usage fee would be calculated based on a yet-to-be-determined percentage of the total advertising revenues from a qualifying platform multiplied by the proportion of links on that platform from a qualifying news outlet. 70% of the proceeds would go to journalists and “support staff” defined as non-executive employees. The bill passed the Assembly on a floor vote of 55-6 and will proceed to the California Senate.
Another bill being considered in 2023 would allocate a portion of state advertising dollars to local, ethnic media as well as setting up a grant program for ethnic media. The policy is supported by Latino Media Collaborative and sponsored by Rep. Miguel Santiago (D – Los Angeles). It is before the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy.
Chicago
Local journalism advocates passed an advertising set-aside in Chicago in October 2022 via executive order. The policy is still in the process of being implemented, but newly-elected Mayor Brandon Johnson has expressed support for the policy.
Colorado
Colorado state legislators proposed a tax credit for small businesses to advertise in local news, based on the Local Journalism Sustainability Act in 2022. It drew support not only from journalism groups but from the League of Women Voters of Colorado. It passed the House Business Affairs and Labor committee as well as the Finance Committee but failed to pass the House Appropriations Committee. The Coalition testified in support and worked closely with the Colorado Press Association.
Connecticut
State Rep. Kate Farrar (D-West Hartford, Newington) introduced a state-level version of a policy implemented in New York in 2020 that mandates a certain proportion of government advertising spending go to local news outlets. It would limit the benefits to publications owned and operated in the state of Connecticut. It passed the House Government Administration and Elections Committee and, more recently, passed the State Assembly by a 96-48 vote. The bill didn’t make it onto the Senate calendar ahead of the close of session. However, local advocates will use the momentum from this session to refine and reintroduce the bill for the next session.
Meriden, Connecticut
The Record Journal in Meriden, Connecticut got approved for a $300,000 American Rescue Plan-funded advertising grant program. Local businesses and nonprofits applied to participate in the program. Those selected received $4,000 in free advertising, $2,000 of which was paid for with city American Rescue Plan funds and another $2,000 in advertising was supplied by the Record Journal. After the costs of implementing the program, the publication netted $235,000. American Rescue Plan funds are still available until the end of 2024. To learn how you can adapt the program, read Rebuild Local News’ bulletin.
Maryland
Six legislators, led by Del. Joe Vogel (D-Rockville), have introduced the advertising tax credit originally proposed in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. The bill would provide a $1,000 tax credit to local businesses who advertise in qualifying local media and $500 in the subsequent years. As introduced, small businesses of fewer than 50 employees would be able to receive the credit for advertising in both print and digital outlets. In a hearing on Feb. 16, the Maryland, DC and Delaware Press Association endorsed the bill along with the Maryland Retailers Association, the NewsGuild and Rebuild Local News. The state broadcasters association asked that broadcasters be explicitly included as qualifying local media, though based on the language as introduced, they would likely already qualify. The bill stalled after the hearing due to the calculated costs of the bill, a familiar issue with the advertising tax credit. Rebuild Local News is working to refine how the costs of the bill are estimated.
Massachusetts
The subscription tax credit originally proposed in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act was introduced into the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It would offer Massachusetts citizens a $250 refundable tax credit if they purchased subscriptions in local digital or print outlets. As introduced, it’s unclear if the bill would include donations to nonprofit newsrooms, but the sponsoring legislator, Jeffrey Rosario Turco (D-Suffolk), has said the bill will likely be amended as it continues through the legislative process.
New Jersey
New Jersey launched the first-of-its-kind Civic Info Consortium in 2018 to provide grants to civic information producers in the state, including newsrooms. Since then it has given out over $1 million in grants. Learn more.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Fund for Local News has been operating a local news fellowship since 2018. In total, it has placed 18 New Mexico graduates in local newsrooms. In 2023, the New Mexico legislature considered a $200,000 appropriation that could be used to scale the program. The bill received a favorable report from the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee with six members voting yes, including Ranking Member Sen. Gay Kernan (R – Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties). The allocation was lowered to $125,000, but was signed by the governor in April. Mark Glaser and Rashad Mahmood of the fund say the money will help New Mexico Fund for Local News scale the program to 15 fellows.
New York City
In 2019, after appeals from the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio issued an executive order requiring that certain city agencies spend at least 50% of their advertising budgets with community newspapers. The policy had been a big success, providing about $25 million over two years to more than 100 local newsrooms. Learn more.
New York State
After New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D/Working Families Party, Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Saratoga) introduced the Local Journalism Sustainability Act into the New York State Senate and Assembly during the 2021-2022 session, local advocates pursued one provision — the payroll tax credit — with hopes of including it in the state’s budget. They were unsuccessful, but are now pursuing a standalone bill. Even if pursuing a standalone bill doesn’t result in a passed policy, local advocates say that it will help them lay the foundation for the next session.
Oregon
A group of lawmakers in Oregon have proposed legislation that would include an allocation to the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon along with the Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism (FORJ). Originally the bill also included a tax credit for people to subscribe or donate to local news outlets, but lead sponsor Rep. Khanh Pham (D-Southeast Portland), said during a hearing that the subscription tax credit would be struck from the bill. If passed, the Agora Journalism Center would use the allocation to study Oregon’s information needs and public policies that would best address them. Additionally, the amended bill will also fund the Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism and Agora to create a local journalism resource center to help fill urgent newsroom needs around the state.
San Francisco
A group of publishers is working to pass a similar advertising set aside as was passed in New York and Chicago. Advocates are considering a few legislative and budgetary paths for passage, but are optimistic a policy can be passed in 2023.
Washington
The Washington State Legislature passed a decade-long policy that completely waives the business and occupations tax for newspaper publishers. It would also include eligible digital news outlets if they had a printed publication as recently as Jan. 1, 2008. The Senate bill was sponsored by Senator Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), and the House companion bill by Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle). It passed the Washington Senate, House of Representatives, and, more recently, was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee.
Washington’s legislature approved $2.4 million over two years to support 8 journalists a year, paid $55,000 each, through a fellowship program to be run by Washington State University. Half of the fellows will be graduates of the University. Program details on how the fellowships and participating newsrooms will be chosen are still being drafted.
Wisconsin
Fourteen Republicans and two Democrats introduced a proposal to provide a tax credit to small businesses in the state that advertised in local news. The approach, based on the federal Local Journalism Sustainability Act, drew support not only from journalism groups but also associations representing restaurants, bars, and banks. The bill had a hearing in 2021, but didn’t pass. The leaders of the effort, the Wisconsin Press Association, will (with the help of the Rebuild Local News Coalition) push this in the upcoming session. Learn more.