BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

CANTON — St. Lawrence County legislators are expected to consider a resolution calling on the state to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act.

St. Lawrence County Legislator James E. Reagen, R-Ogdensburg, said he would be presenting the resolution to the board at the April meeting.

The LJSA would provide tax credits to publishers for local newsroom salaries – 50% the first year, then 30% for the next four years.

The bill would also provide personal income tax credits up to $250 for readers who subscribe to local news publications.

At a Finance Committee meeting of the legislators Monday, Reagen said he was hopeful his fellow legislators would support the initiative.

“It’s a piece of legislation that’s being pushed in Albany by local newspapers across the state,” he said. “It provides tax credits to encourage publishers to employ reporters to cover local governments.”

Reagen has a background in the news business having served as Managing Editor of the Ogdensburg Journal for decades prior to his retirement.

“As many of you may have figured out I’m a strong proponent of local newspapers and in a time of political polarization I think it’s very very important that our communities find ways to keep citizens involved and keep citizens informed and make citizens of aware of what’s happening with their local governments,” he said.

Reagen said St. Lawrence County has been fortunate to have recently seen the revival of the Ogdensburg Journal and St. Lawrence Plaindealer, which shuttered years prior.

He said he’s hopeful that the state bill will help ensure longevity of those papers as well as the Courier-Observer and North Country This Week.

“It is vital to our democracy to keep our newspapers informing the public and providing reliable information as opposed to the rumors and things that they hear on the internet and really don’t know whether or not to believe,” he said.