Time Range For Action Alert:
April 15, 2024 to April 24, 2024Local news outlets are a vital part of our information-sharing network. They inform community members about decisions that impact their lives and spark civic engagement among people closest to the issues. The collapse of local news in recent decades poses a tremendous threat to the health of our cities and towns.
We can reverse this decline and restore resources to the community news outlets that play an essential role in increasing civic participation and voter turnout and reducing misinformation and political polarization. Public funding for local news is an excellent concept, already used at outlets such as CT Public Broadcasting, and in other municipalities such as New York City and Chicago where similar legislation has passed.
Tell your state representatives - support Raised Bill 5408 today!
Action:
- Email and call your legislators and ask them to support Raised Bill 5408, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF PRINT AND DIGITAL ADVERTISING BY THE STATE.
More information: LWVCT members and friends are welcome to email Anne Hefter for more information (hefterach [at] aol.com)
Find out who represents you:
Find Your representatives' email addresses:
Email template to adapt
Remember to cc advocacy [at] lwvct.org when you send your email.
Subject: Support Raised Bill 5408, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF PRINT AND DIGITAL ADVERTISING BY THE STATE
Dear Representative [name]:
I strongly support Raised Bill 5408, a bill to support local press through reallocating the state’s advertising revenue. [Provide a brief introduction about yourself and why you care about the bill. For example, mention if you are a constituent, or someone with expertise or personal experience related to the issue.]
This bill is a creative solution to ensure we support local journalism. By providing support to smaller news organizations that may have a harder time competing with larger outlets, we are helping keep our democracy strong from the ground up. Research shows that communities without strong print or digital news organizations often see a decrease in voter participation, an increase in misinformation, and increased political polarization. Unfortunately, we are seeing local newsrooms in Connecticut struggle to keep their doors open. There are fewer and fewer jobs available for reporters and editors, and coverage is starting to decrease in scope because local news organizations can’t afford to keep more staff on.
[If possible, add personal stories or local examples to illustrate the impact of helping local press through providing state ads revenue.] This legislation is an opportunity to give local news organizations a much needed lifeline. This additional revenue could be the difference between keeping some of our local papers and online news publications running or not.
I believe that a bill to help keep local news organizations open is crucial. As a valued representative of our community, please advocate for this bill.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing about your stance on the bill any actions you plan to take.
[Your Full Name]
[Your City]
[Your Address] [Your Email Address] [Your Phone Number]
