By Tony Baranowski, America's Newspapers
Two recent advocacy wins in New Mexico and Maryland should get the attention of newspaper leaders and state press associations across the country.
Not just because they’re good outcomes. They certainly are.
Because they show something more important: this work can be done, and it can be replicated.
In New Mexico, lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved legislation that provides tax credits tied directly to employing local journalists and newspaper printing. In Maryland, lawmakers enacted the Local News for Maryland Communities Act, directing more state advertising into trusted local news outlets while adding structure and transparency to how those dollars are spent.
Different approaches, same starting point. Both states recognized that local newspapers remain essential to civic life, public information and community connection. Then they did something with that recognition. They turned it into policy.
That’s why other states should be paying attention.
Too often, conversations about local newspapers stop at concern. People say local news matters. They say communities need trusted information. They say accountability is important. All true. But at some point, the conversation has to move from concern to action.
That’s what happened here.
New Mexico’s legislation ties public policy directly to the work of producing local news. Reporting costs money. Printing costs money. Local newspapers are doing essential work in a tough operating environment. This reflects a basic understanding: if a state values local journalism, it has to care about the conditions that make that work possible.
Maryland took a different route, but the logic is just as clear. State government already spends money to communicate with the public. The question is whether that spending is reaching communities in a meaningful way. Directing more of that advertising into trusted local news outlets strengthens those channels while making public communication more effective.
These wins didn’t happen by accident. They took work, negotiation and persistence. Leaders like Rebecca Snyder at MDDC (Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Press Association) and Belinda Mills at the New Mexico Press Association stayed engaged and kept pushing. In Maryland, Delegate Linda Foley, Senator Jim Rosapepe and Senator Cory McCray played key roles alongside a broader group of legislative leaders. In New Mexico, Senators Carrie Hamblen and Peter Wirth championed the effort and carried it through as part of a broader tax package.
That’s the part that matters just as much as the policy itself.
Advocacy can’t be treated as a side project. If we want a stronger business climate for local newspapers, we have to be part of the policy discussion. That means tracking legislation, building relationships, identifying opportunities and engaging early when issues begin to move.
It also means sharing what’s working.
New Mexico and Maryland now offer something that’s often missing in these conversations: real examples. Not theory. Not proposals. Actual policy that made it across the finish line.
That doesn’t mean every state should copy these models. Each has its own political environment, budget realities and priorities. But these examples give others a place to start. They show what it looks like when lawmakers move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to support local newspapers.
That changes the conversation.
It gives state associations something specific to point to. It gives lawmakers something they can study. And it reinforces a point that shouldn’t get lost: public policy can play a constructive role in supporting the long-term strength of local newspapers.
These wins are worth recognizing. But more importantly, they’re worth using. Other states won’t be starting from scratch. They’ll be building from proof.
The question now is who’s ready to take the next step.
Maryland and New Mexico are members of the America’s Newspapers State Advocacy Coalition, a group of state press associations and partners working to protect the role local newspapers play in their communities. Especially in rural areas and small markets, where trusted information is hardest to replace, that work matters. Just as important, the Coalition allows states to act with a stronger, more coordinated voice.
