Let’s shore up funding for local news

AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file
The abysmal financial state of the news media industry poses a severe threat to the free press.
The financial collapse of the traditional news media has caused mass layoffs of journalists and the shuttering of many local news outlets. Unless these financial headwinds are reversed, journalism may disappear entirely in many communities across the United States.
We must fight back against government attempts to control or censor the news using financial pressure. Instead, governments should be focused on creating solutions to the news funding crisis that increase revenue for news outlets without subjecting them to government influence or control.
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