It's Wednesday, you deserve a treat, like an episode of the Hell Gate Podcast! Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
But first, a message from our sponsor:
Limited time offer for Hell Gate readers! Use promo code PC65 to unlock $65 (reg $99) tickets for performances at The Public Theater to the production of PUBLIC CHARGE.
This world premiere play chronicles the real-life adventures of twenty-first century American diplomat Julissa Reynoso as she works with scores of other dedicated public servants to deploy humanitarian aid to an earthquake-ravaged Haiti, navigate the roiling politics of immigration, confront the reality of international espionage, and free a wrongly imprisoned American from a Cuban prison. PUBLIC CHARGE begins performances March 12 at The Public!
The decimation of local news coverage over the past two decades has left hundreds of counties in news deserts. People have no idea what their government is doing, what's happening in local culture, or even where the cool new restaurants are. Corruption festers, and communities pay the price.
Last week, New York State rolled out an ambitious program to turn the tide and kickstart local news providers.
The Newspaper and Broadcast Media Jobs Program will issue up to $25,000 in tax credits for every journalist employed by a local news outlet, with a maximum of $300,000 per publication. The whole program is drawing from a $90 million pool of state money over a period of three years, with up to $30 million being disbursed each year.
Half of the funding will go to larger New York news companies, like Hearst or the New York Times (if they apply), but the other half will go to smaller news outlets, like, possibly, Hell Gate.