Biden’s Build Back Better bill would deliver payroll tax credit to local newspapers (and TV and Radio stations)

MSN Marketwatch ^ | 11/17/2021 | AP

[marcusmaximus]

President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion social spending bill includes a provision that, if it becomes law, would mark the first time the federal government has offered targeted support in response to the decline of local news.

The help would come in the form of a payroll tax credit for companies that employ eligible local journalists. The measure would allow newspapers, digital news outlets, and radio and television stations to claim a tax credit of $25,000 the first year and $15,000 the next four years for up to 1,500 journalists.

-snip-

But the credit, which would cost $1.67 billion over the next five years, does create some tension for the industry. Some top Republicans in Congress have derided it as a handout. Leading journalists also acknowledge that it’s awkward to receive financial assistance from a government they cover independently.

[marcusmaximus]

$1.67 billion over the next five years

[MattMusson]

Build Back Bankrupt

[Candor7]

Socialism is interesting , eh?

[Trillian]

More money for propaganda to be used against us.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Build Back Better = Bernie & Biden’s Boondoggle

[marcusmaximus]

Payoff bucks to Gannett, Comcast, Disney, Viacom, Fox and other Steal Collaborators.

[bray]

State owned media. Why pretend?

[cuz1961]

This tells me media has lost the majority of their audience and are bleeding money

And that they’re professional Griffters.

[Chode]

state mouthpiece media, will the media be divided as Pravda and Izvestia?

[Luke21]

The smaller propagandists can’t sell newspapers anymore, so the state will pay them to lie.

[Texas resident]

Another step toward Venezuela.

[beef]

“eligible local journalists”

So, the IRS is going to decide who is a journalist and who is not.

[rrrod]

Outrageous

[Tench_Coxe]

Covers the fuel cost of a “journalist” following a jury bus in a high profile court case.....

[circlecity]

“The help would come in the form of a payroll tax credit for companies that employ eligible local journalists.”

and you can bet a journalist’s “eligibility” will be based in large part on what they choose to report.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

So will this make the journos switch from their current manure shoveling to absolute feces?

[Bob434]

Build back bolshevik is more like it

[kenmcg]

Just like the old Soviet Union used Pravda to spew their fake news. The Rats want to keep their propaganda media in line.

[dfwgator]

[dfwgator]

He who takes The King’s Coin, does the King’s Bidding.