Media advocacy groups call for government support for local media

Four national media organizations, the News Media Alliance, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Newspaper Association (NNA) and America’s Newspapers, have jointly called on Congress to provide critical support to local news media in its next stimulus bill designed to provide relief to businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a summary document, the organizations specifically call for Congress to ensure the ability of local media to seek relief under the Paycheck Protection Program and to fund federal ad spending on local media through directing current U.S. government ad campaigns to local news and media outlets, and to provide the Department of Health and Human Services, the Small Business Administration and other relevant agencies with an additional $5 to 10 billion for direct funding for local media advertising that would be evenly distributed to local media in communities of all sizes.

“Local newspapers are valiantly serving their communities to the best of their abilities through the COVID-19 public health crisis,” said National Newspaper Association President and Douglas Budget (Wyoming) Publisher Matt Adelman. “They are more critical than ever at a time like this. As the nation pulls together to get through this period, local media need the revenue from advertising and the public needs essential messages from the government.”

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