Ted Dabrowski | Courtesy photo
Ted Dabrowski | Courtesy photo
A bill by state Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) that creates a task force to study underserved local journalism areas cleared the Senate this week.
The bill was one of hundreds being funneled through the Statehouse in the legislative session's final hours, and it received heat from Wirepoint's Ted Dabrowski when he spoke on Chicago's Morning Answer.
Dabrowksi said the idea of the state government funding and controlling local media outlets just as it does the state press corps is scary.
"It would be a lot easier," Dabrwoski said, sarcastically. "It already works that way for the big ones, right? They toe the line on everything so we just need it to be in the local level. No, that's scary too."
Senate Bill 134 creates the Local Journalism Task Force, a group of 10 people that will include local journalism educators, press group representation, General Assembly members and one governor appointee. The task force will study the underserved areas and generate strategies to improve quality local news access, more financially viable business models for local media outlets and make suggestions for public policy solutions.
"When you have that much money flowing, we're going to get something like $25 billion from the federal government coming to Illinois, they're going to have to work hard to spend that money," Dabrowski said. "It's a ton of money when you look at it on a per-budget per-year basis, so it will find its way into things like that and that's why they can run these crazy laws, because there might be money to fund it for a year or two."
With the increasing popularity of digital media and national trust in many news platforms at an all-time low, newsrooms have already been fighting an uphill battle. Declines in advertising from local businesses and dwindling circulation numbers have led to almost half of all newspaper jobs disappearing since 2004.
SB134 cleared the Senate with a 57-0 vote. Once signed into law, the task force has until Jan. 1, 2023 to get the findings of its study on the governor's desk.
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