SUFFOLK CLOSEUP: Journalism In A Changing Media Environment

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

The Local Journalism Sustainability Act was not acted upon by the New York State Legislature in its past session, but a co-sponsor of the measure, State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. of Sag Harbor, is looking for action in the legislature’s next session which starts with the new year.

“I think it’s an important bill,” said Thiele last week. “Community newspapers are such a critical part of democracy. They are checks on the system.” 

But through the nation and in New York State, community newspapers have in recent times been unable to survive because of economic problems and “a changing media environment,” said Thiele. 

Indeed, said the long-time assemblyman, “a lot of places in the state are now media deserts”—communities with no community newspapers.

The act would be implemented by providing state tax credits to media companies that hire more local journalists, and a personal income tax credit of up to $250 annually to those who support local media companies as subscribers.

The measure is non-partisan. Its two other co-sponsors from Suffolk County besides Thiele are Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio of Riverhead and Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk, both Republicans. Thiele is a Democrat. 

“We the undersigned lead newsrooms, unions and other organizations working to strengthen local news in the state of New York. We do not, as a rule, write letters to elected officials, but we believe that the dramatic loss of community journalism is grievously harming communities—and that the legislation being considered in New York State is a First Amendment-friendly way of addressing this crisis,” wrote an array of publishers and editors, representatives of press unions and others earlier this year in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and leaders of the state legislature.

“The scale of the problem is hard to overstate,” declared this coalition, Rebuild Local News. “The number of weekly newspapers in New York plunged from 439 in 2004 to 249 in 2019.”

“Nationally we’ve seen about a 57% decline in the number of reporters in less than two decades. On average, two newspapers are closing each week,” it said.

It noted: “Studies have shown that communities with less local news have more waste, corruption and polarization—and less civic engagement.”

“We are all working hard to quickly adapt our business models, better engage readers, and draw in support from the philanthropic sector. But these steps will not be nearly big enough or fast enough. And the vacuums that are being created by the shrinking of local news are being rapidly filled by social media, national partisan news, counterfeit local websites (funded by political activists of both parties) and conspiracy theories. The communities harmed are rural and urban, large and small, red and blue. Time is of the essence.”

“This nonpartisan legislation also has firewalls to prevent elected officials from rewarding or punishing particular news outlets,” it continued. “No government body decides to give a grant to this newsroom or that. It’s a tax provision. You qualify or you don’t. That provides great insulation.”

“We’ll end on a note that may seem unusual in a letter like this. Part of why we need a strong local press is to hold elected officials accountable. Passing this will not make us do less of that. In fact, it will help us do more,” it said. “But the benefits go beyond that. Community news helps residents make choices for their families, gives communities the information they need to tackle their problems, and enables neighbors to better understand each other. It strengthens communities.”

I’ve mentioned in this space how I was inspired to go into journalism by a college internship at the Cleveland Press which had emblazoned above its entrance its motto: “Give light and the people will find their own way.” Regularly I saw those words become reality especially because of the newspaper’s investigative reporting. The Cleveland Press no longer exists.

I later spent years at the daily Long Island Press. It no longer exists.

Thiele says the tax credit plan in the bill is similar to “the incentives provided to so many industries to improve their health.” And, in this case so needed, as he says, to “insure the state of democracy on the local level.”

Issues involving housing and crime dominated the past session of the state legislature which ended last month. Thiele relates that when tax issues—including tax credit matters—are involved, typically the legislative process is slow.

Helping the local press be sustainable is vital for local democracy. 

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.