Adams Administration Slashed Community and Ethnic Media Advertising by 84 Percent

When the City Council passed Local Law 83 in 2021, it was viewed as a huge boon for local news in New York City. The law set a goal of spending 50 percent of the City's advertising budget—think ads for school registration, City job fairs, and public health announcements—to ethnic and community media outlets. This means millions of public dollars would be going to help support smaller news organizations that provide invaluable local coverage, but have seen their ad revenue eaten alive by companies like Google and Meta. 

But according to a new analysis from New York City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Brad Lander, the Adams administration, which is charged with implementing the law, has failed to hit the 50 percent goal two out of its three years in office.