Local Media Advocates Rally in Hastings-on-Hudson Crisis
Empire State Coalition Champions Local Journalism Sustainability Act
According to River Journal, Americans advocating for state laws to address the decline of local media met at the rally in Hastings-on-Hudson pointing out a worsening crisis in local journalism. Recent decisions by publications like The Scarsdale Inquirer, Rivertowns Enterprise, and Bedford Review Record to pause operations until they find financial stability highlighted the urgency. Lucas Cioffi from Qiqo.org and the Westchester Youth Congress organized the rally in Hastings-on-Hudson backed by the Empire State Local News Coalition pushing for the inclusion of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act in the state budget.
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Endorse Local Journalism Sustainability Act
Supporters at the rally in Hastings-on-Hudson, including Zachary Richner, Sandra Nam Cioffi, Jake Epple, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, and Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky, endorsed the Local Journalism Sustainability Act sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Carrie Woerner. The proposed bill offers a 50% tax credit on the first $50,000 of each newsroom employee’s salary with amendments suggesting a cap of $200,000 for outlets with under 250 employees. The Empire State Local News Coalition representing 150 news outlets emphasizes the crucial role of a thriving local news industry in democracy noting over 3,000 newspaper closures in the U.S. since 2005 driven by factors like declining ad revenue and competition from social media. In New York, the number of news outlets has fallen from 501 to 260 since 2004 with 30 closures in 2022 raising concerns about local journalism’s future impact on democracy.