News organizations across the country are offering potentially life-saving information to readers. But as news organizations struggle to stay afloat, many digital advertisers have used keyword blocking to prevent ads from running next to coronavirus-related content.
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.
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.
Alliance President & CEO David Chavern was a guest on Bloomberg’s ‘Sound On’ podcast with Bloomberg Chief Washington Correspondent Kevin Cirilli today to talk about the importance of local news during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alliance is pleased to report that the latest stimulus package, introduced by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, includes support for local news in the form of an affiliation waiver allowing more news publishers to apply for Small Business Administration loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.
Today a bipartisan letter was sent from U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Boozman (R-ARK) to their Senate colleagues urging support for expanding U.S. Small Business Administration loan access to struggling local newspapers.
As municipalities across the United States enter states of emergency and issue shelter-in-place orders, news publishers are working to ensure they are viewed as “essential” workers, allowing journalists and other news publishing employees the ability to continue reporting and delivering the news.
The Alliance and 11 other business associations sent a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) encouraging the agency to put forward measures in the coming weeks that will provide business mailers with incentives to stay in our nation’s postal system during the COVID-19 crisis. Associations representing newspapers, magazines, direct mailers, non-profit mailers and others reminded USPS management that its operations are fully funded by postage rates paid by individuals and businesses.
The Senate passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, in a 90-8 vote, that would make coronavirus tests free, ensure students continue to receive free lunches, and expand unemployment insurance.
