In Our View: Local media essential part of U.S. infrastructure

Posted

According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of infrastructure is “the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization).”

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has embraced that idea with a proposal for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. Cantwell has said she is seeking $2.3 billion in grants and tax credits to sustain local newspapers and broadcasters as part of the president’s vast $2.3 trillion spending plan. That is 0.1 percent of Biden’s proposal to shore up America’s roads, bridges, social safety net and democratic pillars.

Republicans in Congress have opposed the plan, arguing that it embraces too broad a definition of infrastructure. Social programs, they say, have nothing to do with roads, bridges and ports.

But Americans would be wise to grasp the wider meaning of infrastructure, recognizing that decades of neglect have diminished our nation’s ability to deal with crises and have lessened our standing around the globe. For the United States to be a leader in a post-pandemic world, it must invest in itself and in the support structure that paves the way for American exceptionalism.

Read more from The Columbian