What others say: Tariff on imported newsprint could wring local news

Until recently, most people probably didn’t have tariffs on their minds. It was widely reported the Trump administration planned to place tariffs on steel imports and other materials. Then came talk of possible trade wars and the effects those can have on the economy. However, a lesser-known tariff has been enacted that also could impact Americans’ lives.

And not in a good way.

When the new year began, the cost of importing Canadian newsprint – the type of paper most used for printing newspapers – rose by about 6.5 percent. That cut into the budgets of newspaper publishers across the U.S. However, the expense didn’t stop there.

Costs have increased steadily into the double digits and could reach as high 30 percent. That extra expense could force newspapers to cut staff, limiting their ability to cover local news.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

For some small and mid-sized papers serving rural areas, it could be an existential crisis and, if those papers close, residents would have no source for local news. There are plenty of sources and platform options for state, national and international news. However, if you’re looking for local, as in on-your-street, in-your-neighborhood news, you’ll only find that in your hometown newspaper.

Why did this tariff suddenly emerge? West Coast newsprint manufacturer, North Pacific Paper Co., petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce for it, saying the Canadian producers had an unfair advantage.

There’s a major flaw in that argument: It’s simply not true.

North Pacific is one of the relatively few companies that produce uncoated groundwood paper, the grade typically used to print newspapers. Because no new investment has been made to create new plants in the U.S., newspapers rely on Canadian companies to fill the void.

There also is a local company that produces the uncoated groundwood paper, Resolute Forest Products in Catawba. The York County company is the largest North American producer with nearly 500 employees in mills across the U.S. and Canada. Resolute supplies over a dozen newspapers in South Carolina.

Resolute also opposes the tariff.

A spokeswoman from Resolute said the company recognizes the tariff is harmful to the newspaper industry and could shrink the market for newsprint, benefiting North Pacific at the expense of newspaper companies and readers across the U.S.

There’s another reason this tariff is bad. From an environmental standpoint, we should all favor importing Canadian paper products. It protects our trees. In the U.S., and particularly in our area, hyper development has made clear cutting all too common. In no time at all, acres of woods disappear. Canada, with its vast forests and sustainable practices, has an endless supply of trees.

The South Carolina Press Association and the National Newspaper Association are emphatically opposed to the tariff and lobbying for a reversal. They have powerful allies in South Carolina’s Congressional delegation and we’re glad to see those elected officials are taking up the cause.

Rep. Ralph Norman, (R-Rock Hill), sponsored a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer urging them to “consider the negative impact that any trade remedy would have on the U.S. newspaper and commercial printing industries, as well as the overall U.S. paper manufacturing industry.”

Thirty-four House members endorsed the letter. Also, Michele Exner, spokeswoman for U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-Charleston), said, “Senator Scott is encouraging the Commerce Department to look very closely at the negative effects this tariff could have on local economies and newspapers across the country.”

We applaud both Norman and Scott for seeing through the flimsy protectionist alarm sounded by North Pacific Paper Co. and using their influence to help right a wrong. If they are successful, their constituents should be proud.

— The Herald of Rock Hill, South Carolina, May 17, 2018

More in Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.