A promising idea to support local news has been dealt a major setback in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore has vetoed a bill that would direct state agencies to place at least 50% of their advertising in local news outlets. Even though the bill passed the state Senate unanimously and the House of Delegates by a margin of 129-7, Sean Curtis of WBOC reports that “a veto override is unlikely” because this year’s legislative session is about to expire.
Moore, a Democrat who is sometimes mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, said in his veto message of May 22 that he couldn’t support the bill — known as the Local News for Maryland Communities Act of 2026 — because ads would be hidden from view by news organizations that use paywalls, and because there was no provision for ensuring that media outlets publishing the ads are sources of reliable information. He wrote:
The State and its agencies have a fundamental obligation to deliver critical information to Marylanders through the most effective and efficient means available. Meeting that obligation requires access to a full range of modem advertising channels, including digital platforms, streaming services, outdoor media, and partnerships with major regional organizations, which allow the State to reach a broad and diverse audience where they receive their information. By mandating that half of all advertising contract dollars be directed to Maryland news organizations, Senate Bill 459 severely restricts the state’s ability to utilize these effective channels.
In response, Rebecca Snyder, executive director of the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association, wrote a commentary that has been republished by a number of outlets calling Moore’s veto “a disappointing and misguided decision.” She added:
The legislation was straightforward and practical: require Maryland state agencies to prioritize local news organizations (print, digital, radio and broadcast) for a portion of their advertising spending. It was revenue-neutral. It did not create a new tax, a new program, or a new bureaucracy. It simply ensured that more Maryland advertising dollars stayed in Maryland communities.
Moore’s ill-considered veto is the latest setback for efforts to boost local news at the state level. With federal legislation on ice as long as Republicans control Congress and the White House (not that it should be a partisan issue), advocates have turned their attention to statehouses. Unfortunately, as I reported earlier this year for Poynter Online, those efforts have produced mixed results.
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New Jersey’s previous Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, zeroed out state support for public television; a New York law to provide tax credits for local news has been mired in regulatory hell; and, of course, Massachusetts has failed twice to create a commission to study local news and make some recommendations.
Nevertheless, Steven Waldman, president of the advocacy organization Rebuild Local News, has been working diligently for measures such as tax credits, corps of young reporters to cover underserved communities, and, yes, government advertising directed toward supporting local news. Here’s what Rebuild Local News has to say about government ads:
While we understand government agencies must run effective marketing campaigns, their neglect of local media — especially smaller players — is unfair and unwise. Often, government agencies only consider larger media outlets or social media platforms simply because it’s easier and those platforms seemingly offer better metrics. The system leads to local news — especially community newspapers and hyperlocal websites — getting much less government ad dollars than it should.
Moore’s veto is shortsighted and will harm Maryland’s local newspapers, websites and broadcast outlets. Given the overwhelming support that the bill received, I hope it comes up again in the next legislative session — and that it passes early enough so that legislators will be able to override Moore’s veto.
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I agree fully with Moore’s reasoning, as a journalist who runs a news organization. He left out the part about taxpayers propping up private equity-owned news outlets that are destroying the industry.
There is some language in the bill aimed at ensuring that the media outlets would have to cover Maryland news to be eligible. I agree that the language could be toughened up, and the legislature will have another chance in the next session.
Thanks for bringing out the p/e angle, my naivete must have been engaged to think that such lopsided votes in their legislature were the result of concern for keeping the public informed about what’s going on around them. Yup, local paper here went p/e, what was once in touch and responsive has gone asset-stripping, soulless, and useless.