We commend the Washington Post for its in-depth coverage last week of the events at the Falls Church Episcopal during the 1990s involving allegations of sexual abuse by a youth minister. To clarify, the minister involved served the congregation that chose to leave the Episcopal denomination because of its election of an openly-gay bishop. That group was ultimately compelled to vacate the historic church property by court order a decade ago. A new Episcopal congregation has grown there since and the breakaway group moved to a location outside the City. Also, the report upon which this Post article was based was covered in depth by the News-Press nine months ago in May 2024.
The importance of honest and consistent local journalism is underscored by this. To this point, we urge readers to support Northern Virginia Del. Alfonso Lopez’s proposed legislation now being considered in Richmond that would provide an income tax credit for small businesses to advertise in local news outlets such as the News-Press. In the language of the proposed legislation, HB 2514, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees can take the credit for certain expenses incurred for local media advertising in a local newspaper or in a broadcast local radio or television station.
In this incredibly difficult time for all newspapers, HB 2514 speaks directly to a very core purpose for the existence of local news outlets like ours. This paper was launched in 1991 with the enthusiastic support of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce as a way for local businesses to reach prospective customers in a local market without having to pay for a distribution far wider than their desired range of exposure. It has always been central to the News-Press’ mission to offer local businesses an effective and affordable means to better succeed and as a result to be able to employ folks and pay taxes to support local schools and infrastructures as a result of that success.
It was then-State Del. Leslie Byrne who quipped that lacking an alternative, she had to spend more money to advertise in wider regional media that covered places in the metro region nowhere near where people lived who could vote for her. “It was like I was running for the queen of the whole D.C. metro area,” she said about her lack of media choices at the time.
Del. Lopez’s bill creates, for taxable years 2025 through 2029, a nonrefundable income tax credit for eligible small businesses. The credit would be equal to: (i) for the first taxable year in which the credit is claimed, the lesser of 80 percent of the actual amounts paid or incurred for qualified local media advertising expenses or $4,000 and (ii) in subsequent taxable years, the lesser of 50 percent of the actual amounts paid or incurred for qualified local media advertising expenses during such taxable year or $2,000. The credit includes an aggregate cap of $10 million per taxable year.
