Moore vetoes bill to steer more state ads to local news

Gov. Wes Moore has vetoed a bill that would have steered at least 50% of Maryland state advertising contract dollars to Maryland news organizations, shutting down a measure Baltimore media leaders had cast as a new revenue stream for struggling local coverage.

Senate Bill 459, the Local News for Maryland Communities Act of 2026, passed the Maryland General Assembly and was set to take effect Oct. 1 if Moore signed it. The bill would have required state agencies to direct half of their advertising contracts to Maryland news organizations, while exempting campaigns aimed mainly at audiences outside the state, including tourism, employee recruitment and economic investment.

In a veto letter dated May 22, Moore said he supports local journalism in principle but argued the bill would “significantly impair” the state’s ability to communicate effectively with Maryland residents. He said his administration needed the flexibility to use digital platforms, streaming services, outdoor media and regional partnerships, and warned that paywalls at many local outlets meant state messages would not always reach non-subscribers.

Moore also raised fiscal accountability concerns, arguing that public money should not be directed without standards tied to accuracy, accountability and return on investment. He said his administration remains open to future legislation or executive actions to support local news in a way that is feasible and fiscally sound.

The veto landed after an unusually broad coalition backed the proposal, including Rebuild Local News, Baltimore Public Media, the Maryland-Delaware-DC Broadcasters Association and the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association. Rebecca Snyder, the press association’s executive director, had said the bill recognized local news as essential infrastructure and could build more stable support into everyday government operations. The Senate approved the measure unanimously on April 13.

Supporters said the proposal would not have increased spending, only redirected existing advertising dollars toward outlets that serve Maryland readers, viewers and listeners. The bill also told agencies to prioritize news organizations that serve underserved communities and allowed the state to rely on a third-party nonprofit to maintain a list of eligible local outlets.

The fight comes as Maryland’s local-news economy keeps shrinking. A 2024 University of Maryland study found that 39% of local publications were not confident they could survive two more years without more revenue, and Northwestern University research found that 13 of Maryland’s 23 counties have only one or two local news outlets. For Baltimore newsrooms, that scarcity has made state advertising dollars more than a business issue: they can shape which outlets stay open, and which communities lose the reporting they rely on to watch City Hall, schools, transit and neighborhood government.