IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1005 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 9, 2024 Mr. DeSaulnier (for himself, Mr. Raskin , and Ms. Norton ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of local print and digital journalism to the continued welfare, transparency, and prosperity of government at every level and the continuation and freedom of the United States as it is known today.

Whereas local print and digital journalism is disappearing at a record rate; Whereas trust in journalists is at an all-time low nationally, while many local reporters retain the good will and trust of their communities; Whereas subscriptions to local news have decreased steadily since the spread of the internet; Whereas nonjournalistic digital media has been falsely labeled and marketed as news; Whereas corporations are buying local news outlets and cutting budgets and staff, leading to less local coverage; Whereas local print and digital journalism are essential to promoting good governance at the local and State level; and Whereas a lack of local news will allow for greater local and statewide political corruption: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1) it is in the best interests of Federal, State, and local governments to make all possible efforts to ensure the continuation of robust local digital and print news sources; and (2) Congress should work with news outlets and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that local digital and print news continues to operate in a robust manner for years to come.