Fewer Americans read printed newspapers each year, but they still have an appetite for news. According to the News Media Alliance, paid newspaper circulation nationwide has declined by 48% since 2002, whereas online traffic to the top 50 news sites has increased by 39% over the same period.

About 136 million Americans access online news site each week. Yet, since 2005, revenue generated by the newspapers that produce that content has dropped by 58%.

That obviously is not a healthy formula for local journalism, which remains crucial to an informed public and, therefore, to a functional democracy.

History shows there is no fighting technology. That does not mean the nation should not fight a Big Tech duopoly — Facebook and Google — that has contributed mightily to the decline of local journalism by refusing to adequately compensate local news organizations for their content.

Between 16% and 40% of Google searches on a given day are for news content. The media that incur the costs of reporting all of that information deserve fair compensation for it.

No individual small news organization has the leverage necessary to negotiate with giants like Facebook and Google. But antitrust law precludes those small media organizations from doing so collectively.

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act temporarily would allow small news organizations to negotiate collectively with the internet platforms for fairer compensation.

The Pennsylvania congressional delegation should support the bill to ensure that local media are fairly compensated and, therefore, capable of carrying out their crucial roles.

— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre via TNS