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Committee hears testimony on S.84 to steer state advertising dollars toward local news
Summary
The Government Operations committee heard testimony March 14 on S.84, a bill that would direct a larger share of state advertising to community news outlets. Testimony cited local newsroom closures, gave examples from New York City, and sought guardrails against ‘pink slime’ sites and emergency exceptions.
The Government Operations committee on March 14 heard testimony on S.84, a proposed change to state contract standards that would direct a larger share of government advertising toward community news organizations.
Proponents told the committee the change aims to shore up local journalism that they say has been shrinking for years. "We represent about 3,000 newsrooms around the country," said Steve Walvin, chair of the Rebuild Local News Coalition, who testified for the bill. He said "on average, two newspapers close each week in the United States" and that Vermont has seen a steep decline in the number of newspaper employees since 2013.
The proposal would not create new spending but would redirect existing advertising budgets, supporters said. Walvin cited New York City’s…
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