Groups Call on Congress to Fund Journalism and Treat Local News as Essential Service during Pandemic

A coalition of more than 45 organizations and scholars has called on Congress to include vital funding for local news in the next coronavirus stimulus package. Free Press Action, PEN America, Common Cause,  and other organizations urged the House and Senate leadership to consider local press an “essential service” vital to the nation’s health, prosperity, and recovery. The organizations ask Congress to allocate at least $5 billion to support local journalism in the next stimulus package. Specifically, they ask for support of public and community media in addition to creating an emergency fund to preserve newsrooms and reporting jobs. They also call for public investment to address the civic-information needs of those most impacted by the spread of news deserts across both rural and urban communities.