2025 Minnesota Statutes

15.442 LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZATION ADVERTISING BY STATE AGENCIES.

Subdivision 1.Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.

(b) "Advertising" means paid communication transmitted via newspaper, magazine, radio, television, social media, Internet, or other electronic means to make any person aware of information relevant to an agency or a program or public awareness campaign operated by an agency.

(c) "Agency" means any board, commission, authority, department, entity, or organization of the executive branch of state government. Agency does not include the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities or the Minnesota Zoo.

(d) "Local news organization" means a print, digital, or hybrid publication, or a broadcast television or radio station, that:

(1) primarily serves the needs of the state of Minnesota or a regional, local, or ethnic community within Minnesota;

(2) primarily has content derived from primary sources relating to news, information, entertainment, and current events;

(3) employs at least one journalist who resides in Minnesota and who regularly gathers, collects, photographs, records, writes, or reports news or information that concerns local events or other matters of local public interest;

(4) has a known Minnesota-based office of publication or broadcast station where business is transacted during usual business hours with a local telephone number and must list contact information in each updated publication or on their website; and

(5) has not received more than 10 percent of its gross receipts for the previous year from political action committees or other entities described in section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, or from an organization that maintains section 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) status under the Internal Revenue Code.

Subd. 2.Transparency.

By February 1, 2026, and each year thereafter, all agencies must publish the following information on their website for the previous fiscal year:

(1) the total advertising spending by the agency; and

(2) the total percentage of advertising spending in local news organizations, including a breakdown of the total percentage of advertising spending in local newspapers, radio, and television.

Subd. 3.Expiration.

This section expires February 2, 2031.

History:

2025 c 39 art 2 s 25