Reprinted from the Columbia Journalism Review

The public and not-for-profit community broadcasting system needs more stable funding, a greater emphasis on local content, and reduced reliance on private financing and syndicated programs.

It might seem like an odd moment to call for more investment in media. And yet a growing awareness of the disappearance of local news, and a growing awareness that we need news and programming from beyond the coasts and the largest cities, just might create an opening for such an argument. 

Even without Congress, the public can secure stable, long-term journalism funding from our local and state governments. We can seek journalism funding through ballot initiatives, city councils, or state legislatures. Voters can demand multidecade bonds to pay for local journalism and insist that all revenue from the bonds go into a fund that politicians cannot touch. 

Legislatures might also consider allowing each citizen to allocate tax dollars to a local news outlet of their choosing. This way, newsroom funding would be insulated from electoral politics and newsrooms would be incentivized to compete for subscriptions from all members of their communities equally. Washington, DC, and Seattle are both considering versions of this proposal.

To be eligible for funding, newsrooms could be required to be physically rooted within their communities; to maintain a governing board that represents the community’s geographic and economic diversity; to provide all community members with access to content regardless of income; to commit to providing high-quality local news coverage; and to have every employee make at least a living wage. These content-neutral requirements would ensure that those who receive funding are actually making journalism for their communities without infringing on the freedom of the press.