Community News and Small Business Support Act introduced in house

The Community News and Small Business Support Act (HR 4756), formerly known as the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA), has been reintroduced in the House by sponsor Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and co-sponsor Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA). The bill would provide important support to news organizations and local newspaper and broadcast advertisers in the form of a series of tax credits, including a refundable tax credit for local newspapers that would allow them to hire more dedicated local news journalists, and a non-refundable tax credit for small to medium-sized businesses to advertise with local newspapers and broadcasters.

News/Media Alliance President & CEO, Danielle Coffey stated: We applaud Representatives Tenney and DelBene for introducing the Community News and Small Business Support Act and putting the needs of local communities first by supporting local news publishers who provide critical journalism and information to Americans across the country. Without vital support, such as tax credits for publishers and local businesses, publishers will not have the resources to continue to invest in providing news and the news deserts will continue to grow, making quality local journalism increasingly inaccessible to those who need it and allowing harmful misinformation and disinformation to spread.

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Members of the News/Media Alliance staff contributed to this post.