Wyden Co-Sponsors Resolution Underscoring Crucial Role of Local News Amid Threats to Free Press
Washington D.C. –U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced he is co-sponsoring a resolution designating April 2025 as “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month” to highlight local journalism’s vital role in U.S. democracy, particularly as news outlets face mounting threats and intimidation from the Trump administration.
“The cornerstone of democracy is a free and fair press. Among this administration’s blatant threats, exclusions and intimidation, it’s more important than ever to protect these vital local information outlets in Oregon and nationwide,” Wyden said. “Trump has made it painfully clear he thrives best in dark, deceitful places, which is why I’ll keep spotlighting our First Amendment rights whenever they are threatened by authoritarian wanna-bes. As the son of a journalist and an elected official who knows full well the need for reliable local news, I’ll always fight for a free press and the crucial service it provides in maintaining healthy and vibrant communities.”
In addition to Wyden, the resolution was led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and co-sponsored by Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
Full text of the resolution is here.
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