News/Media Alliance Urges International Trade Commission (ITC) to Reject Tariffs on Printing Plates that Will Lead to Newspaper Closures, Journalism Job Losses

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The News/Media Alliance today urged the International Trade Commission (ITC) to reject antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on imports of aluminum lithographic printing plates from Japan and China. These duties were preliminarily imposed earlier this year at an excessive rate of 200% (China) and 87% (Japan) to these aluminum printing plates, which are used in the United States to print newspapers, magazines, books, and other printed materials. On September 12, 2024, the ITC will hold a hearing to decide whether to continue to allow these duties, which would have a devastating impact on the news industry.

"A decision by the federal government to impose new tariffs on aluminum printing plates would threaten news publishers' critical news-gathering missions, put American jobs at risk, and cause additional news outlets to shutter, contributing to expanding news deserts across the country," said News/Media Alliance President & CEO Danielle Coffey. "The news and publishing industries are already operating in a challenging economic environment and the future of quality journalism is in peril. We urge the ITC to reject new antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum printing plates, which would only accelerate the disappearance of quality local journalism, at a time when we need it more than ever."

Following imposition of the tariffs, news publishers immediately began feeling the impact. Many newsrooms in the U.S. rely on printing technology that requires violet plates, which are not produced in the U.S., or thermal plates, which are produced in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China. Prohibitive duties on thermal plate imports from Japan and China would place newsrooms' supply chain at risk because the duties would be passed on from suppliers, directly hitting a publisher's bottom line. Equally concerning is the impact the import duties would have on limiting access to equipment maintenance, availability of parts, and healthy price negotiation in a fragile industry.

"Local news is the lifeblood of our communities and preserving quality local journalism supports a healthy democracy. When newspapers close, there is a community-wide negative impact ? civic engagement decreases, corruption increases, and combatting misinformation becomes more difficult, which is particularly critical in an election year. This impact is disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities, including rural communities and communities of color," added Coffey. "The Alliance will continue to fight the proposed duties on printing plates, which would disrupt the flow of news and information to communities that rely on printed newspapers throughout the country."

A recent report from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University found that one-third of the newspapers that existed in the U.S. in 2005 would be gone by 2024. Newspapers are closing at a rate of more than two per week. According to the same report, residents in more than half of U.S. counties have no, or very limited, access to reliable local news. There are 204 counties without any local news outlets and 1,562 counties with only one remaining news source.

View the News/Media Alliance letter here. 

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The News/Media Alliance is a nonprofit organization representing more than 2,200 news, magazine, and digital media organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and globally. Alliance members include print and digital publishers of original journalism. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., the association focuses on ensuring the future of journalism through communication, research, advocacy, and innovation. Information about the News/Media Alliance can be found at www.newsmediaalliance.org.

SOURCE News/Media Alliance