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Journalism, News Impact Project

News Impact Project: COVID-19 Impactful News Stories

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As part of our News Impact Project, we are compiling a list of local news stories from around the country on the COVID-19 health crisis that have made a positive impact on their local communities, through motivating changes that help make the community safer, allowing community members to engage on important issues, and providing community members with important information they need to know to keep themselves and their families safe and well.

Advocacy, Advocacy-A, Business Ops-A, Journalism, Press Releases

Statement: Bipartisan Senate Legislation to Provide SBA Affiliation Waiver for News Publishers

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Today, the bipartisan “Local News and Emergency Information Act” was introduced in the Senate by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Boozman (R-AR), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), that offers legislative text around a Small Business Administration affiliation waiver for news publishers.

Advocacy, Advocacy-A, Business Ops-A, Journalism, Press Releases

Media Groups Call on Congress to Support Local News, Local Media Amid Coronavirus Crisis

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Today, four national media organizations representing thousands of local newspapers and local broadcast media outlets – the News Media Alliance, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Newspaper Association (NNA) and America’s Newspapers – 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.

Journalism, News Impact Project

Tennessee’s Jackson Sun Proves the Importance of Local News on City Finances

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A 2018 study found that when communities lose their local newspapers, city finances are dealt a major blow. This is why the work done by the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun is especially important and impactful. A series of investigative news stories published in late 2019 follow reporter Adam Friedman as he explored the city’s revenue and expenses, as well as the loans it was taking out to maintain the city, revealing a situation he calls “absurd.”

Journalism, News Impact Project

Oregonian’s Reporting Leads to Required Timely Testing of Sexual Assault Kits

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Thousands of untested sexual assault kits that could have solved at least 500 sexual crimes in Portland over the last decade were left on storage shelves. Detectives vowed to fix the issue after the homicide and sexual assault of a 14-year old girl named Melissa Bittler in 2001. However, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Maxine Bernstein showed that Portland police failed on the promise to send the untested kits to the state crime lab.

Journalism, News Impact Project

Colorado’s Canyon Courier Highlights Youngest Change-Makers in Community

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News stories don’t have to be deep, investigative reports or articles that create legislative change to make an impact. It’s true that communities need watchdogs, but impact can be created by stories of all kinds, from notices of local road closures to human-interest stories about unknown neighbors and vibrant local residents.For Evergreen, Colorado’s Canyon Courier, its stories of local kids and teens felt the most impactful.

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