Washingtonians have long supported their local press. It’s a core value in the state, and part of its fierce commitment to robust democracy, open government and accountability.
Legislators need to hear this again and again, and Thursday is the next big opportunity.
The Senate Ways & Means Committee will take testimony, in writing and in person, on a proposed lifeline to local news outlets across the state.
That lifeline is Senate Bill 5400. The measure would add a tax surcharge on large search engines and social media platforms, reflecting a small portion of the value they derive from trustworthy news content.
This would raise around $24 million that will be distributed annually to newspapers, broadcasters and websites producing local journalism.
Yes, The Seattle Times would benefit but so would smaller news organizations in every corner of the state.
The biggest beneficiary would be Washington residents who need professional, sustained local reporting to keep them informed and strengthen their communities.
Academic research has established that voters are more engaged and knowledgeable, and corruption and taxes are lower, in places that still have newspapers.
Local journalism also benefits tech firms that would be affected by SB 5400’s surcharge, by strengthening communities where they operate. The surcharge is capped at $6 million apiece.
Crucially, SB 5400 states that grants would be allocated based on the proportion of journalism produced by each news outlet.
The bill says grants will be allocated “in an amount proportional to the hours worked by journalists employed by the applicant” as reported to the Employment Security Department.
That ensures SB 5400 is not just creating a pot of money for officials to dole out as they see fit, or to whoever twists their arm the most. It’s a form of compensation for work done by employees.
Such clarity is necessary to prevent the appearance of political decision-making and subjectivity in the grant program. It must be abundantly clear that the program will not influence news coverage and no outlets will receive preferential, disproportionate treatment.
Government has long played a role in ensuring the survival of the press without compromising its independence. That began with the Postal Act of 1792 that subsidized the delivery of news. The Founding Fathers had gripes with various publications, like all politicians do, but they knew that a strong and free press was essential to democracy and must be supported.
SB 5400’s sponsor, State Sen. Marko Liias, shares that belief. The Edmonds Democrat has also seen news outlets in his Snohomish County district struggle through a prolonged economic disruption.
So despite a heavy workload as Senate Transportation Committee chair, Liias spent countless hours over the last year drafting and improving SB 5400.
Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, also deserves kudos for keeping the bill moving forward with Thursday’s hearing.
They appreciate what’s at stake. Washington lost nearly a third of its newspapers, the source of most local reporting, since 2004. That mirrors a national decline that continues to see an average of two newspapers lost per week. Saving what’s left of this ecosystem is critical.
Legislators can’t solve that alone but they can make a difference by passing SB 5400. Let them know this is important and urgent.
Verbal testimony will unfortunately be limited at Thursday’s 1:30 p.m. hearing, given the Ways & Means Committee’s packed agenda, but you can write to your state senators and representatives or send a message via leg.wa.gov.
