www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 18-24, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 Much has been written, in these pages and in pretty much every other media source, about the perilous state of the business of journalism. The good news is that as of this week, help is on the way. But first, the details are startling: According to a 2025 study from the Medill School at Northwestern University, employment in journalism has declined by 75 percent in the last 20 years. More than 270,000 jobs have been lost in the industry since 2005 and 40 percent of local news outlets have closed during that time. News deserts have spread across the country. The costs to communities from this hollowing out of the news industry are many. There are the reporters and editors who are now figuring out different ways to make ends meet and pay their rent. There is also the cost of disconnection: Democracy Fund, an independent foundation that works to expand new models of journalism across the country, published a report in 2023. The takeaways from their research are: (1) People feel a stronger sense of community in places with solid local journalism; (2) Every dollar spent on local news produces hundreds of dollars in public benefit by increasing public accountability; (3) Quality local journalism builds trust and minimizes polarization; (4) Local news is vital to underserved communities especially in times of upheaval or emergencies; (5) Strong local journalism means more people turn out to vote and that the benefits of democracy are shared more evenly across diverse communities. Earlier this month, Rebuild Local News, an industry coalition representing some 3,000 local newsrooms in the U.S., released a study from University of Illinois finance professor Dermot Murphy that shows the shortage of local news costs local governments roughly $1.1 billion per year in borrowing costs. (Those costs are ultimately transferred to local residents.) “Our original study illustrated that the loss of local news leads to a significant increase in borrowing costs for local governments, as lenders are nervous about lending to unmonitored governments,” Murphy said. “This follow-on report shows just how much the nation and each state pays in extra borrowing costs per year due to their news desert footprints. The costs are significant, and taxpayers ultimately foot the bill.” The California Legislature recognized the problem and stepped in with a first-in-the-nation public-private partnership, the California Civic Media Fund, that will provide direct financial investment to local newsrooms. The fund matches $10 million in state money with $10 million from Google. It is administered by GO-Biz, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. (After last year’s authorizing legislation, the budget for the next two years also includes continued funding.) The goals are both high-minded and specific: to enhance public good by ensuring the sustainability of news organizations, and reinforcing the vital role of journalism in our democracy. I am one of nine members of the advisory board that helped design the process by which those goals can be met. I’m happy to report that as of June 15, the program is public. A website (cacivicmedia.org) details the application process for newsrooms. The application period runs from July 6-Aug. 21, and California news organizations can apply for a financial award based on the number of journalists they employ. Eligible companies must be based in California and their reporting likewise focused on the state. They must produce original, fact-based journalism, and adhere to an ethics and corrections policy. To qualify, they must also publish a statement of ownership, have liability insurance and have been in business for a minimum of three years. I asked GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers what we should make of this first-ever public investment in journalism. “Clearly, legislators have a deep concern about the media landscape, and the need to help stabilize local news outfits,” she says. “Newsrooms are part of the infrastructure of the communities they serve. There is no free society without a free press.” California is charting new territory in providing government support for the fourth estate. Erik Cushman is the Weekly’s publisher. Reach him at erik@montereycountynow.com. Fourth Estate California launches an innovative new program to bolster journalism. By Erik Cushman PARTY NOW, ASK LATER…Squid oozes onto the underground scene every so often to catch a show, although in Squid’s world, there is only water, so the underground means blending in among the fishy denizens of coral reefs. Monterey County’s underground scene isn’t quite as rebellious. The most “underground” Squid could find was at Hacienda in Carmel Valley, where line dancing was taking place allegedly without approval from the County of Monterey. Gasp! As it turns out, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Posse grounds in Salinas is the place to be for some off-the-books entertainment. Since the 1990s, the property has hosted at least six concerts a year, drawing roughly 2,000 people each—all without a permit, in violation of its agreement with the County and apparently without the government’s knowledge. The Sheriff’s Posse at last went to the county asking for permission to host eight concerts a year. The County Planning Commission was scheduled to consider it on June 10, but the discussion got pushed to Aug. 12 because everybody involved with the posse was either on vacation or had other commitments and couldn’t attend the meeting, attorney Anthony Lombardo told the commission. Perhaps the Sheriff’s Posse isn’t aware that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, so the saying goes. Squid is curious to see whether that truism applies when the ask comes three decades late. FIGHT BACK…In Squid’s aquatic lair, there is a lot of fighting—the shape-shifting cuttlefish spray ink at each other while duking it out for a mate, sea otters are infamously aggressive toward their mates—but still, Squid is constantly surprised by how much humans seem to love terrestrial fighting. That includes President Donald Trump, who chose to celebrate his 80th birthday with a gigantic cage-fighting show at the White House. Nothing says happy birthday like brutality. Seeming not to see the irony, the president was also hashing out still-shaky peace plans to bring an end to the war of aggression that he started in Iran. Closer to home, Squid was thinking about how the City of Monterey might be able to dig itself out of its structural budget deficit after voters ix-nayed a sales tax increase on June 2 (see story, p. 10). Sell tickets to a U.F.C. fight on the Colton Hall lawn? It could work in a town where people seem to like fighting—tourists vs. locals, NIMBYs vs. YIMBYs, heck, Montereyans vs. Pagrovians—but it might not really work out as a money-maker. The cost of the White House fight was $60 million, according to news reports, and Trump planned to pay the fighters in cryptocurrency that he himself had issued (is that even legal?). What if Monterey skips the spectacle of a fight and just issues crypto to itself—problem solved. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “There is no free society without a free press.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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