[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 113 (Monday, July 8, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4685-S4686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Youngstown Vindicator

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, at the end of June, we received news that 
sickened so many of us. The Youngstown Vindicator, one of Ohio's 
greatest local newspapers, is closing after 150 years in business.
  It is devastating news for a community that is already reeling from 
General Motors' abandonment of

[[Page S4686]]

Lordstown--and ``abandonment'' is the right word. General Motors made 
the decision to shut down production, losing 4,500 jobs in Lordstown, 
OH. They moved some of their production to Mexico. They took part of 
their tax cuts and their profits and used that money to buy stock 
options for their top executives.
  The Vindicator was reporting the story about GM's abandonment of 
Lordstown before the national media came to town. When GM laid off one 
shift of workers back in late 2016, after the Presidential election, 
then a second shift several months later, the Vindicator was there 
covering what those job losses meant to this community. We know the end 
of the Vindicator's coverage is another huge blow to Mahoning Valley.
  Our hearts break for the dedicated journalists and support staff 
losing their jobs. This was a family-owned paper for 132 years.
  This will not just be a loss for those who worked there. When local 
newspapers close, everyone suffers. Local reporters know their 
communities better than anyone. David Skolnick, Mark Sweetwood, and the 
entire Vindicator team have held local officials accountable. They told 
the stories of how national issues affect real Ohioans, how our trade 
policy hurts Ohio workers, and how the opioid crisis has devastated the 
valley. Craig Graziosi and many others have done vital work covering 
Lordstown. These journalists care about the cities and towns they 
serve. They hold those in power accountable, whether it is local 
government or city business leaders.
  NPR reported on what happens when local papers shut down. First of 
all, investigative reporting suffers. Long investigations are 
expensive. Usually, when there are no local newspapers to do these 
stories, no one steps in to fill the void. The investigations don't 
happen. Corruption increases, the city's financial health suffers, and 
citizens get hurt.
  Three researchers looked at local newspaper closures over a 19-year 
period. From 1996 to 2015, 300 papers across the country closed in that 
time. They found that where papers closed, city borrowing costs went 
up. Without local journalists, city watchdogs, the city's finances took 
a hit. It became more costly for taxpayers to fund local schools and 
other projects. It is just more evidence that journalists are vital to 
our communities and are necessary for our democracy.

  Too many people in this country already undermine the work that 
journalists do--or worse. We see reporters restricted, vilified, and 
even threatened--all for getting up every day and doing their jobs 
honorably.
  On the anniversary of the shooting at the Capital Gazette in 
Annapolis, MD, where several reporters were murdered in cold blood, the 
President of the United States joked about getting rid of journalists. 
That is pretty sick. He is the same President who says journalists are 
the enemy of the people.
  Meanwhile, Wall Street hedge funds gobble up local papers around the 
country. Just this spring, the Cincinnati Enquirer and other papers 
around the country that are owned by Gannett fought off a hostile 
takeover by a New York hedge fund. These guys--and they are mostly guys 
in the hedge funds--buy up local newspapers and turn around and 
dismantle them. They fire reporters, and they sell company assets. That 
is their business model--to put tens of millions of dollars in their 
pockets. There is no public benefit to that; there are only benefits to 
the hedge fund operators. It is the last thing we need as the news 
business gets tougher and tougher.
  We have lost veteran reporters at Cleveland.com and at the Columbus 
Dispatch. The Dispatch's parent company, GateHouse Media, laid off more 
than 100 journalists this spring, including its longtime Washington 
bureau chief, Jack Torry, and now The Vindicator is closing its doors 
for good.
  It is time for us in the White House and in this Congress to stand up 
for the free press, to stand up for community newspapers, and to stand 
up for local journalists, who are vital to the fabric of cities and 
towns like Youngstown and all across this country.