Legislation jointly introduced by the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Ron. Wyden (D-OR), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — seeks to provide a pathway to financial viability for local news in newspapers, in digital only publications, and on television and radio stations through a series of tax credits. The legislation mirrors a similar bill introduced in the House by Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), which has strong bipartisan support.

“The decline of local news has had devastating effects on our communities. Local news has often been the only window into the city council or mayor’s office. Without these outlets, these important institutions in our communities go uncovered. Further, the decline of local news has only fueled the growth of misinformation, as Americans lose their most trusted sources of information. As the son of a journalist, these developments trouble me greatly. Our bill would provide financial support to local news at this critical time for our democracy,” said Sen. Wyden.

The first tax credit provides a tax credit of up to $250 for consumers to either subscribe to a local newspaper or donate to a local nonprofit news organization. The second is a five-year credit for local news organizations to employ journalists. The last of the three credits is a five-year tax credit that incentivizes small businesses to advertise with local newspapers, as well as local radio and television stations. (More on the details of the bill here)

"This is a hugely important step to help strengthen communities, by addressing the collapse of local news," said Steven Waldman, president of Report for America and chair of the Rebuild Local News Coalition. "When local news goes down, it leads to more waste, corruption, pollution, and polarization. Stronger local news leads to greater civic engagement and ability to solve local problems. This nonpartisan bill — which empowers consumers, small businesses and local publishers — will help create better local news, without endangering the editorial independence of journalists."

To learn more, and/or take action, go here.