-Isms: Views on life in rural America

Since the Advocate-Messenger's first edition hit your mailboxes on July 25, 2019, our newspaper has had a single mission: Bring community stories to the forefront.

We've shared our region's success stories and we've covered the moments when we all have faced struggles. We share photos from sporting events, document engagements and weddings, promote area businesses and record community history.

One of the biggest challenges we collectively have faced is the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small business, we rely on advertising revenue, and during the shutdown, we lost significant revenue. We pushed onward, though it wasn't always easy.

A common theme through our first two years of business - and yes - it will continue as we begin year three: Support local. I know I often write and talk about the importance of supporting local, small businesses. Here I am again, asking you to support local journalism.

On July 22, Senators Maria Cantwell (Washington), Ron Wyden (Oregon) and Mark Kelly (Arizona) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate to H.R 3940, known as the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. It is a bipartisan bill aimed to assist local newspapers maintain financial viability. According to the bill, the measure would provide tax incentives to support local print and digital publications and other local media. These credits would expire after five years.

The LJSA not only would provide a tax credit for local businesses, it also recognizes subscribers, who can receive a tax credit of up to $250 per year for subscriptions to local news.

Businesses which utilize print and digital advertising will also be eligible for a tax credit, up to $5,000 for one year and $2,500 per year for the following four years. The intent is to offset advertising costs, while boosting the potential reach to customers. It's a good example of shopping local and investing in the community.

How will local media benefit?

First, the bill, if passed, will help news outlets employ professional journalists who believe in the power of community journalism. According to both bills, a credit of up to $25,000, over a five-year period, will be available to assist media outlets for hiring purposes. To claim the tax credit, a journalist will have to work at least 100 hours per quarter to be eligible to qualify.

Second, the LJSA will help outlets formulate a plan to grow a digital model.

The bill has bipartisan support; however, as of July 28, none of Nebraska's senators or representatives have signed on to co-sponsor the LJSA.

If local community journalism is important to you, I urge you to contact our senators and representatives and urge them to support the LJSA. Supporting local newspapers supports the communities we serve. We hope you continue to shop, eat and read local.