Is it safe to go outside?
That seemingly simple question developed new meaning in the past year. In addition to traditional topics of local weather (what streets are flooded?) and crime (is a killer on the loose?), the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, which hit different areas with differing severity, made it ever more important to know the conditions in our own communities: are infection rates high, making it riskier to leave our homes? What orders and restrictions have local officials imposed regarding travel, curfews and car occupancy?
As consistent readers are well aware, local newspapers always have been vital to our communities, providing news and commentary that national news outlets just can’t provide — in addition to the comics, puzzles and other entertainment features that add variety to many readers’ days.
Even as the pandemic has added to the importance of local newspapers, however, COVID-19 has hit the industry just as hard as many others. Closures and reduced sales have forced many businesses to cut cost, and that has included reducing their advertising budgets or eliminating them altogether.
Along with subscriptions and single-copy sales, advertising is the lifeblood of newspapers. It provides the revenue we need to pay the bills, buy the paper and ink, and pay reporters, photographers and other members of our staff.
Luckily, a new appreciation for local news is arising among policy makers; it’s a welcome change from recent years of attacks and challenges about news content — even though it can easily be verified.
A bipartisan bill supporting those who read and advertise in local newspapers, House Resolution 3940, was filed last month in Congress. The Local Journalism Sustainability Act offers tax credits for a portion of readers’ subscriptions; advertisers would get a similar tax credit for placing ads in local papers.
The newspapers also could receive tax incentives to hire local reporters and photographers. This could improve many newspapers, as homegrown reporters usually know the important people and issues of their neighborhoods. On the border, with its amalgam of languages and cultures, that familiarity is even more valuable, and it’s a reason why this newspaper has always included our own backyard when looking for new talent.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., a co-sponsor of the bill, noted that “local news is the only way to receive important information and updates. … By providing tax credits for readers and small businesses and by empowering our local journalists, we can begin to help our small newspapers remain resilient and continue to provide in-depth perspectives that inform their readership regarding local current events.”
The benefits of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act only add to the many reasons why reading your local paper is a good daily habit. We encourage our readers to contact their lawmakers and ask them to support HR 3940. And as our community continues to climb out of the economic throes of the pandemic, we also invite local companies to use their local paper to announce they’re open for business, and local residents to patronize those businesses to help us all recover.
