The COVID-19 related collapse of advertising revenue amounts to a death blow to many of the BIPOC and local media platforms that communities across the country turn to for critical information on governance, elections, education, health, and numerous issues specific to them. This comes on the heel of BIPOC and local media already being decimated from having the lion share of their advertising revenue – their lifeblood – syphoned off by the unregulated tech intermediaries. 

Why should you care? The demise of BIPOC and Local media will have serious economic, social, and political implications. This is especially true for underserved communities who (1) rely on them to get trusted information about vital health and safety precautions that will help stem the spread of the virus and also available public benefits so they can help keep the economy going, and (2) would otherwise be without a watch dog for government and corporate accountability and without awareness of the social, economic and political events controlling their lives.  

For our part, MMCA is issuing a call to action for greater public support of local and diverse media both through donations and by purchasing subscriptions. MMCA further ask that you join us is calling on Congress to incentivize these efforts by including legislation authorizing all taxpayers to claim a tax credit of up to $200 for the cost of purchasing a subscription to a “local or BIPOC news source.” The credit should be refundable and available to taxpayers that do not itemize so that all Americans can benefit. 

Join us and sign our petition today.