Comment on Maine’s Angus King wants money for local news organizations in next coronavirus stimulus

Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. Maine Sen. Angus King and several Democrats in the U.S. Senate called on Wednesday for a future stimulus bill aimed at coronavirus relief to include money to support local news organizations. King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, signed a letter with 18 Senate Democrats that characterized local news organizations as “in a state of crisis” that was only “exacerbated” by the coronavirus pandemic. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] “Reliable local news and information has been critically important during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it has become more scarce,” the senators wrote. The virus is expected to further harm news organizations that have struggled to rebuild since the Great Recession.