U.S. Senator Brian Schatz led a group of 14 senators in introducing a resolution designating April 2023 “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.” The resolution recognizes local news as a public good that serves an essential function in the democracy of the United States.

According to research, from 2008-2020, overall employment in U.S. newspaper, television, radio, and digital newsrooms fell by 26 percent, or 30,000 jobs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 100 local newsrooms were forced to close with 30 percent of local television stations reporting budget cuts and staff reductions.

The resolution affirms the significance of local news in increasing civic engagement and strengthening democratic norms and practices, and acknowledges the valuable contributions of local journalism toward the maintenance of healthy and vibrant communities.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). It has been endorsed by PEN America; Alliance for Community Media; Free Press Action; National Press Photographers Association (NPPA); Native American Journalists Association (NAJA); Writers Guild of America, East. AFL-CIO; Ethnic Media Services; Society of Environmental Journalists; Society for News Design; Common Cause; Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ); Native Public Media; Public Knowledge; Society of Professional Journalists; Theatre Communications Group; National Newspaper Association (NNA); National Writers Union (NWU); and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

The full text of the resolution is available here.

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