Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and its Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) published a comprehensive report framing the crisis facing local journalism across the nation. Entitled, “Local Journalism: America’s Most Trusted News Sources Threatened,” the report aims to emphasize the role of a free press in a thriving democracy, define the challenges facing local news outlets, and encourage bipartisan support for both short and long-term federal interventions to level the digital playing field so local journalism can flourish.

Interventions to consider include renewing and expanding eligibility for COVID-19 emergency relief in the form of the Payment Protection Program; creating targeted tax credits and incentives; addressing unfair market practices by dominant search and social media platforms; and instituting national privacy protections to empower consumers.

This report, which describes how journalism struggled to meet the challenges of the digital revolution, establishes a factual foundation for Congress to craft specific legislation that begins to resolve this crisis.

The following can be attributed to Lisa Macpherson, Senior Policy Fellow at Public Knowledge: 

“Sen. Cantwell’s report paints a vivid picture of the crisis facing local journalism, shedding light on how targeted federal funding and new regulatory tools can help transition local journalism to succeed in the digital marketplace. Congress has a role to play in helping local journalism survive today’s market challenges in a way that empowers local journalism for its own long-term sustainability. We hope this report will inspire new bipartisan legislation to support the critical role of a free and editorially independent press in our democracy.”

You may view the full report. You may also view our recent blog post, “Next Stimulus Package Should Target “Distressed” Local Journalism,” for more information on what Congress can do now to support local journalists.