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.
###
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.
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SOURCE News/Media Alliance