By Lyn Whitley and Dee Anne Finken, LWVWA Local News Committee members 

Like the League of Women Voters in Washington, individuals and groups elsewhere across the country are turning to public policy as a way to stem the decline in local news.

In early October, LWVWA Local News Committee members met virtually with Steve Waldman, founder of the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Rebuild Local News, to learn about some of the efforts.

Previously national editor of U.S. News & World Report, Waldman was asked by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in 2009 to study whether all Americans were receiving the information, educational content and news they needed in a changing media landscape. The product of his effort was the highly regarded “The Information Needs of Communities,” which predicted a decline of local newspapers would be particularly problematic.

Waldman went on to found Report for America, a nonprofit program that places early career journalists in newsrooms in underserved communities across the country.

Waldman began his conversation with committee members by praising the LWVWA study, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” and other Washington state League efforts to support local news.

“I can’t stress how important it is that the League is doing this,” Waldman said.  “So far, it’s only been a bunch of journalists talking about this. And we are really only going to make progress when other civic groups and organizations, and businesses really understand the crisis.”

He noted that efforts are underway in New York, Wisconsin, Maryland and Colorado to pursue legislation to provide news outlets with refundable payroll tax credits to offset staffing costs. Calling payroll tax credits “probably one of the best ways to encourage the presence of local reporters,” Waldman said such a proposal would be worth promoting in Washington, given the state’s budget surplus. He acknowledged stiff competition for the funds from many special interests will likely surface, though.

Waldman said the creation of early career journalism fellowships, such as the new $2.4 million program at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College, will help ease the crisis. That program will place eight journalists in newsrooms in underserved areas in the state the first year and another eight the year after.   

New Mexico was the first state to create such a program, and California launched its program in March. Administered by the University of California-Berkeley, it received $25 million in state funds. Washington state Sen. Karen Keiser, a UC alum, has said she was inspired by the UC plan to seek financing for Washington’s program.

In many ways, Waldman said, fellowship programs win ready support from lawmakers who are familiar with state finances and university systems.

Another approach gaining traction would require state public agencies to buy advertising in local newspapers, provided the expenditures are effective. Waldman noted local governments across the country purchase advertising for programs ranging from public health messaging to tourism promotion. The idea is to support local news outlets instead of Big Tech social media firms, if the advertising is equally effective.

Waldman said Washington’s lawmakers are generally on board with support for local news at both the state and federal levels. A bill that allows news publishers to seek exemption from the state Business & Occupation tax won broad bipartisan support in the state Legislature before Gov. Inslee signed it this spring. 

In Congress, Rep. Dan Newhouse and Sen. Maria Cantwell, both of Washington, sponsored the Local Journalism Sustainability Act in 2020, which was hung up in budget deliberations in late 2022.  Replacing it is the Community News & Small Business Support Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene of Washington and Claudia Tenney of New York, which would create tax credits for newspapers to hire staff and for local businesses to advertise in local newspapers.