12 JULY 26, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
HEADING
Give local journalism a real boost
In the infancy of his administration,
President John F. Kennedy spoke in
April 1961 of the importance of the
press in America, pointing out that it
is “the only business in America specifi
cally protected by the Constitution.”
But in 2018, it’s getting more and
more diffi cult for news organizations
to fulfi ll their duties because of the
fi nancial obligations they face — as
evidenced by the fresh round of layoff
s the New York Daily News suff ered
this week.
Half of the editorial staff was wiped
out. Gone were the editor-in-chief,
the managing editor, the director of
content, a court reporter, the politics
editor, a theater reviewer and many
other reporters, photographers and
staff members.
It’s no secret that the Daily News
has been hemorrhaging red ink for
years now, losing millions of dollars
in recent years. Even so, the editorial
staff continued to turn out exposes
revealing abuses and mismanagement
in government, such as the lead paint
crisis gripping the city’s public housing
stock.
As reports of the Daily News layoff s
spread, local lawmakers — including
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor
Bill de Blasio, who aren’t always keen
on what the Daily News publishes
— nonetheless slammed Tronc, the
paper’s parent company, for dropping
the ax on so many talented people and
urged them to either reconsider or sell
the publication.
Still, words and calls for action aren’t
what’s needed to keep the journalism
industry in America robust amid
shift ing industrial dynamics and unnecessary,
job-killing newsprint tariff s.
Every year, the city and state spend
tens of millions of dollars on tax credits
for the fi lm and television industry.
These credits have provided jobs for
thousands of New Yorkers and pumped
millions more dollars back into the local
economy. It’s truly a win-win deal for
both the government and the industry.
The state and city should offer
similar tax credits to print media
organizations that employ a certain
number of journalists to cover their
communities. We’re not talking about
a direct government subsidy that
creates dependency, but rather a tax
credit program that enables publishers
to not only retain the reporters
they have, but also hire more staff to
better serve their coverage area.
These credits must given serious
consideration, for local journalism
is critical to checking the power of
government, exposing abuses and
protecting the people they serve.
This publication, in spite of the
various challenges facing the industry,
continues to thrive thanks to the
support of its readers and advertisers.
But we believe a tax credit program
will further enable us — and so many
other local papers nationwide — to be
your eyes, ears and voice.
We hope our elected offi cials are
reading — and listening.
EDITORIAL
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
These 7 Queens beer gardens and
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SUMMARY:
Here’s a rundown of outdoor bars
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enjoy a cold brew in Queens this
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ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ROBERT POZARYCKI
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporter
RYAN KELLEY
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