April 2024's passage of the $90 million Newspaper and Broadcast Media Jobs Program, led by the Empire State Local News Coalition, represents a historic investment in our state’s local news industry; however, further action is needed to sustain independent, community-focused journalism in New York. The Empire State Local News Coalition is pursuing a robust agenda to reinvigorate New York’s newsrooms and create a model for local news advocacy that can be replicated across the U.S.

In the next twelve months, our priorities include:

• Implementation of the New York Newspaper and Broadcast Media Jobs Program: We are working with fellow stakeholders to advocate for final regulatory language that ensures the historic $90 million tax credit for local newspapers brings maximum benefits to the news outlets truly covering New York's local communities.
• Supporting Main Street Businesses and Local Economies: In the coming weeks, we will unveil a new tax credit for small businesses that advertise in local media outlets. The credit will focus on supporting minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses.
• Staying Ahead of the Curve on AI: We will convene stakeholders from the media, technology, academic, and advocacy spaces to investigate the long-term impacts of artificial intelligence on local news and develop policy solutions to ensure that technological advances do not undermine New Yorkers’ access to independent and trusted local journalism.
• Promoting Government Transparency: We will fight to protect laws encouraging public accountability for elected officials by requiring the government to disclose public policy, legal and regulatory decisions, and communications relevant to the public interest.

We look forward to collaborating with our fellow newsrooms, publishers, and communities to ensure that local journalism thrives in New York State for years to come.