Lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed an amended bill to funnel state advertising dollars to local news media organizations with a vote split largely down party lines. If passed, Connecticut would be the first state in the nation to require that state advertising money go to local news outlets.
The original bill required state agencies to expend 50 percent of their advertising dollars with local news media in an effort to bolster the floundering news business, which has seen mostly local journalism decimated with the advent of social media and the death of print publication.
However, under the amended bill, the spending requirement was reduced from 50 percent of advertising dollars to 15 percent. Proponents of the bill said that it was already general practice to allot 50 percent of advertising revenue to state-based news organizations during public testimony.
Under the amended bill, advertising dollars that focus on reaching people out of state – tourism advertising, for instance – would be excluded from the requirement, as would higher education agencies. The fiscal note for the original bill noted that there could be significant costs for higher education, and their advertising could not be “easily supplanted by in-state advertising.”
The exclusion of higher education in the amendment lowered the fiscal note to $140,000 for employees and administration costs. Agencies can also request unlimited waivers from the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) if they believe a contract award “would interfere with the purpose of advertising.”
The bill also requires the parent company of a new media organization to be based in Connecticut, meaning some of Connecticut’s largest news publications like Hearst, which is headquartered in New York, and the Hartford Courant, which is owned by Alden Global Capital, would likely not be covered, but many smaller, local organizations would.
Rep. Kevin Brown, D-Vernon, spoke in support of the bill, saying the loss of local news media is contributing to reduced media literacy, and that local news outlets are more trusted than “national, partisan,” outlets.
“With the loss of those local news outlets, it has been detrimental to the practice of democracy in our communities, and it is my understanding that this bill will help to prop up some of our local news media outlets who exist to cover local democracy,” Brown said. “If we think about how hard it is to find information about local government in our current setting, that’s a problem.”
Republicans pushed back against the bill, echoing concerns raised by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), pointing to costs, and arguing the bill would likely not change much about how people consume news in an environment saturated with social media.
“If the purpose of this bill is to prop up failing newspapers, then let’s just be direct about that,” Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, said. “I’m not sure that anything we do in this chamber can create a culture in which our children and grandchildren are going to rely on print media for their news. If we could do something to change the fact that they seem to get most of their news from Tik Tok or Facebook or Instagram, I would be the first one to pony up money for it, because I think that’s the real problem.”
Following a largely party-line vote to pass the bill, Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, took to X to praise passage, saying that “local news is under attack,” and praising Representatives Morin-Bello and Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, for pushing the bill through.
“Local journalism is essential to accountability, transparency, and an informed public,” Blumenthal wrote. “Research shows government corruption increases in local news deserts. It’s vital we act to ensure local journalists continue to perform their vital role.”
The bill was originally supported by some Connecticut news media organizations and opposed by the Office of Policy and Management, who testified that establishing a 50 percent requirement would mean state agencies could not get the most reach for their money.
Similar laws have been passed by municipal governments in major cities like New York City and Chicago. Under the terms of the bill, agencies would have to report their local media advertising figures, along with any waivers granted, to DAS on an annual basis.
The bill will now potentially go before the Senate.
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