04.08.20 - COVID-19 - Local Journalism

April 8, 2020
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles E. Schumer

U.S. Senate Majority Leader U.S. Senate Minority Leader
317 Russell Senate Office Building 322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Patrick Leahy

Chairman Vice Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
304 Russell Senate Office Building 437 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Chairman Shelby and Vice
Chairman Leahy,
We write to ask that any future coronavirus stimulus package contain funding to support
local journalism and media 1. Without this support, communities across the country risk losing
one of their key sources of accurate information about what citizens need to know and do in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local news is in a state of crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic. For over a decade, there has been a steady succession of local outlets closing down,
reporters being laid off, production schedules cut, and resources tightened as the growth of social
media and technology platforms has concentrated critical advertising revenue in the hands of a
few. But the current public health crisis has made this problem worse. As many communities
have shut down local restaurants, entertainment venues, and other non-essential businesses in an
attempt to “flatten the curve,” local papers and local broadcasters have lost even more of the
advertising revenue they rely on from these businesses. Communities across the country have
seen the further decimation of this important industry as local publications have stopped printing
and laid off staff in the last few weeks.
1
While there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes “local journalism” or “local media,” a PEN
America report on the challenges facing this market defines “local news” as “media outlets (TV, radio, newspapers,
and digital sites) dedicated to covering newsworthy information that is relevant to communities within a specific
geographic region/connected by a particular place (rural, town, city, and state-level).” The report also adds that
“[w]ithin a local news ecosystem, different outlets may tailor their coverage to different constituencies in the
community—such as a particular ethnic or language group or a particular neighborhood.” Losing the News: the
Decimation of Local News and the Search for Solutions, PEN America, available at https://pen.org/local-news/.
Local news plays an indispensable role in American civic life as a trusted source for
critical information, a watchdog for government and corporate accountability, and a building
block of social cohesion. Thousands of communities across the country turn to local news for
information on governance, elections, education, health, and numerous issues specific to their
cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Local news sources tailored to a particular ethnic or language
group, or a particular neighborhood, also play a critical role in covering a wide range of issues
that impact underrepresented communities.
The current public health crisis has made the already vital role of local news even more
critical. The World Health Organization has identified the existence of a “massive infodemic”
about COVID-19, that is, “an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that
makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”
Some of the most important guidance for families and businesses during this crisis has been
highly localized. Local journalism has been providing communities answers to critical questions,
including information on where to get locally tested, hospital capacity, road closures, essential
business hours of operation, and shelter-in-place orders. During this unprecedented public health
crisis, people need to have access to their trusted local news outlets for this reliable and
sometimes life-saving information.
Reliable local news and information has been critically important during the COVID-19
pandemic, yet it has become more scarce. Any future stimulus package must contain funding to
support this important industry at such a critical time. Such a provision should be tailored to
benefit aid recipients who make a long-term commitment to high quality local news.
Sincerely,
________________________ ________________________
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL ROBERT MENENDEZ
United States Senate United States Senate
________________________ ________________________
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE JEANNE SHAHEEN
TIM KAINE
________________________ ________________________
TIM KAINE MAZIE K. HIRONO
/s/
________________________ ________________________
PATTY MURRAY ROBERT P. CASEY, JR.
________________________ ________________________
MARK R. WARNER AMY KLOBUCHAR
________________________ ________________________
RON WYDEN CORY A. BOOKER
JACK REED
________________________ ________________________
EDWARD J. MARKEY JACK REED
A
________________________ ________________________
ANGUS S. KING, JR. SHERROD BROWN
________________________ ________________________
TAMMY BALDWIN TOM UDALL
________________________
JOE MANCHIN III
United States Senate

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April 8, 2020

The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles E. Schumer

The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Patrick Leahy

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