It’s no laughing matter: Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act asks, ‘Who’s killing local news?’

Comedian Hasan Minhaj answers with wit and outrage on "Patriot Act."

“With everything going on in the country right now, I think we can all agree: It’s been really hard to watch the news,” Minhaj begins. And he soon gets to,  “There’s one area where [local news] is unmatched: exposing sex offenders."

As Minhaj says, the situation is dire, but it’s not too late to take action. Leaders in Washington have recognized the need to act to save local news. A bipartisan group of senators have come together to introduce a bill called the Local News and Emergency Information Act of 2020, which would expand access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to small businesses like local news outlets that have previously been blocked from accessing the PPP. 

These and other efforts to save the news are gaining momentum, but it’s essential that we keep moving toward solutions that ensure the future of the local news industry. If we fall short of this goal, we may feel the echoes of that failure for years to come.