NABOB, Journalists' Associations and NPM Urge Congress To Pass Local News Media Tax Credit Bill

Perry Michael Simon of AllAccess.com

A letter to HOUSE and SENATE leaders signed by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK OWNED BROADCASTERS with the NATIVE AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, THE ASSOCIATION OF LGBTQ JOURNALISTS, the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS, and NATIVE PUBLIC MEDIA TUESDAY urges support and passage of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act of 2021.

The bill offers tax credits to encourage local news media to hire more journalists and spur more local businesses to advertise on local media. The letter follows a similar letter from all fifty state broadcasters' associations supporting the bill.

The letter recounts local media's service to their communities in the pandemic and their financial struggles, saying, "For local and underserved communities, local news is a lifeline, and hiring local journalists that are as diverse as communities they serve is essential. This legislation would also provide small businesses with financial flexibility to spend on advertising on local television and radio stations as well as newspapers. Not only would this legislation save the livelihoods of local broadcasters and journalists, it would also save local journalism and put measures in place to help it thrive."