22 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 8, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
THE QUEENS
editorial
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
STAFF REPORTERS
CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
PRODUCTION MANAGER
INSIDE SALES MANAGER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ZACHARY GEWELB
NIRMAL SINGH
JACOB KAYE
ANGELICA ACEVEDO, JENNA BAGCAL, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
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Story: Lidl grocery store opens in Astoria, its fi rst
location in Queens
Summary: Lidl, a discount grocery store, opened
its fi rst location in Queens on Wednesday, April 7,
in Astoria, with a grand opening event with special
off ers for its fi rst 100 customers.
Reach: 5,927 (as of 04/05/21)
Another yoke on our neck
For all the talk about “supporting local
journalism,” it appears New York state government
isn’t all that interested in doing so.
It’s no secret that the journalism business
— the only industry protected by the
Constitution, as John F. Kennedy once said
— is under siege by a barrage of fi nancial
complications that predate the pandemic
itself. At this point, no company can aff ord
additional burdens that stand in the way of
producing quality, essential journalism to
keep the public informed.
Yet the state Legislature seems hellbent
on throwing another yoke onto the neck
of our oxen with the Extended Producer
Liability Act.
Th e legislation has an aim that doesn’t
sound so bad on paper: making product
producers responsible for recycling their
products aft er use. But if passed, it will
have the unintended consequence of driving
another nail into the local journalism
coffi n.
Th e bill mandates that any company
that produces “product packaging, plastic
wrappers and bottles and paper products”
— such as brochures, fl yers, catalogs,
booklets, telephone directories and,
you guessed it, newspapers and magazines
— bears the fi nancial burden of recycling
unused or undistributed materials.
For full disclosure: Our company,
Schneps Media, has more than 70 different
newspapers and magazines circulated
across New York City daily, weekly
and monthly. You can imagine the kind
of devastating impact this act would
have should the Legislature pass it, and
should Governor Andrew Cuomo sign
it into law.
It is utterly ridiculous that newspaper
companies are not exempt from this law.
To say nothing about the vital services we
provide, the journalism industry already
takes great pains to be eco-friendly.
As Michelle Rea, New York Press
Association president, recently pointed
out, newsprint accounts for less than 7 percent
of all solid waste in a community. Th e
printing industry has committed to using
more recycled newsprint in its products,
and the materials themselves — including
non-toxic ink — are biodegradable.
Newspapers should be exempt from
the Extended Producer Liability Act. Th e
legislation further endangers an already
stressed industry that needs more relief,
not more restrictions, to deliver the news
and essential information you need every
day.
Long Island state Senator Todd Kaminsky
is the main sponsor of the bill. Reach out to
his offi ce by calling 518-455-3401 and let
him know that this bill is bad for New York
journalism.
And please call your local state Assembly
member or state senator and tell them to
give your local newspaper a break! Photo via Getty Images
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