Apr 9, 2020 2 min read

Some U.S. senators – including Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. – said Wednesday they want future relief legislation for the coronavirus pandemic to include public funds for local news outlets, which have lost money among widespread business shutdowns and travel restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Casey and 18 of his colleagues signed a letter to Democratic and GOP caucus leaders saying that already-struggling local media – newspapers, radio stations, websites and TV stations – have suffered from the outbreak because of lost advertising revenue. They did not specify a particular amount that they hoped “any future relief” package from Congress would contain. Nor did they identify a time frame or specify language for the proposal.

There was no such provision in the $2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed before it was signed into law on March 27, either.

The senators who signed the letter, all Democrats, said the public-health crisis makes local news “even more critical” even as it makes life even harder for the industry.

“For over a decade, there has been a steady succession of local outlets closing down, reporters being laid off, production schedules cut, and resources tightened as the growth of social media and technology platforms has concentrated critical advertising revenue in the hands of a few,” the letter read. “But the current public health crisis has made this problem worse. As many communities have shut down local restaurants, entertainment venues, and other non-essential businesses in an attempt to ‘flatten the curve,’ local papers and local broadcasters have lost even more of the advertising revenue they rely on from these businesses.”