On a macro level, the most devastating trends to afflict the journalism industry in recent decades are hurtling on, unabated: The first- and fourth-largest TV conglomerates are preparing to merge, further homogenizing an already absurdly consolidated market. Journalism jobs are disappearing at a relentless clip as newsrooms shutter and shrink. And after decades of threats, public media has seen its federal funding slashed to zero, an existential challenge to the stations that, in many communities, are a final lifeline of trusted news and information.
On a community level, the consequences of this collapse are being felt more acutely than ever. In the absence of reliable local reporting, Americans find themselves increasingly in the dark about what’s happening in their streets, their schools, their halls of power.
But there’s a glimmer of good news: Legislatures in more than a dozen states are weighing bills to support local news in some form or fashion, as recognition grows that the market cannot self-correct a collapse of this magnitude. If local news and civic information are truly public goods, their survival will require bold public interventions. From Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Illinois to New Mexico to California, a broad set of policy solutions is being debated and advanced.
This rising tide of activity is both urgently needed and deeply energizing. But as in any emerging policy field, some key questions remain unsettled: What does effective policy change truly look like in this arena? And how will today’s debates, discussions and proposals lay the groundwork for lasting, long-term change?
For lawmakers ready to invest in the health of their community’s civic and media landscape, the grounding for legislation isn’t simply “how do we save local news?” The monopoly advertising model that sustained newspapers for generations is gone and won’t return. Corporate chains and hedge funds now own more than half of all U.S. newspapers, while three conglomerates control 40 percent of local TV stations. And there’s a growing body of evidence that the local journalism industry will need to fundamentally transform to maintain its relevance and impact.
So saving the existing system isn’t the goal. Building a healthier one is. That requires lawmakers to start with a different set of questions: What civic information do residents actually need to stay safe, participate in democracy and build power with one another? And what kind of structural changes do we need to usher in the kind of local media system that’s capable of creating that information in abundance? This reframe shifts the center of gravity from industry salvation to community impact and positions the public as a key partner in debates about the future of local media, rather than as a passive bystander.
In terms of specific policy solutions, this framing also points lawmakers toward the kind of durable, long-term investment that our local media system so badly needs. On a baseline level, we know that the United States spends dramatically less than other democracies when it comes to public investment in our media system, and that was before the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was laid to rest by Congress last year. In a post-CPB world, state and local governments have now become laboratories in reimagining the future of publicly funded media in this country.
In these experimental days, policymakers can and should explore a broad variety of ideas. From fellowship programs to tax credits to government advertising set-asides, there are plenty of levers to pull. But it’s clear that the higher goal should be to create durable public infrastructure for local news and civic information. Instead of patching holes in a rapidly sinking ship, we need to design a sustainable system for supporting the media outlets best able to serve their communities.
The most direct way to do that is via the creation of independent public grantmaking bodies. These bodies — with strict firewalls in place to prevent government interference with the content of journalism — offer a direct and flexible way to invest in high-quality local journalism. Unlike one-size-fits-all funding programs, these bodies can channel resources to where they are needed most. They can also support a wide spectrum of media models: legacy and emerging outlets; commercial and noncommercial operations; and initiatives focused on reporting, training and infrastructure.
New Jersey is the proof of concept. Since its launch in 2021, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium — a publicly funded, independently operated nonprofit — has distributed more than $12 million to support local journalism and civic information, funded more than 200 new jobs and enabled the publication of more than 13,000 articles. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California are exploring similar models.
The tools are on the table. The models are emerging. Let this first Local News Day be another spark for this growing movement, not just to sustain what remains but to build a stronger, more inclusive and more accountable local media system from the ground up.
Alex Frandsen directs the Media Power Collaborative at Free Press Action, where he tracks state and local media policy.
Governing's opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing's editors or management.
Related Articles
