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Over 200 community newspapers urge U.S. trade commission to reject new tariffs on printing plates

More than 200 U.S.-based community newspapers send a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) urging the agency to reject new tariffs on aluminum lithographic printing plates that they say would threaten the future of the wider news industry.

“We are publishers and managers of community newspapers across the United States. We are writing to express concern about preliminary tariffs that have been placed on aluminum lithographic printing plates at the request of Eastman Kodak Company. The tariffs are jeopardizing the already-threatened community newspaper industry in this country,” said the letter.

“Some of us own and operate printing presses. Some of us hire printing services from others in the industry. We wish to express our respect for our long-time industry vendors: both Kodak and the target of this investigation, Fujifilm. Both have strong relationships with the printing industry that undergirds our business. We also respect the Commission’s mission to protect and encourage domestic manufacturing. However, adding to the cost of ALP through the levying of tariffs is ill-timed and unwise,” it added.

The letter highlighted several factors to support their request. It highlighted competition from internet platforms and the cost of plates.

“Though the individual plate cost from the tariffs might appear small, for a small newspaper it can be enough over a year to erase a thin profit margin. It can turn a surviving, profitable newspaper into a money-loser facing a possible shutdown. Many of our printers cannot mitigate the impact by easily switching from an international source to a domestic source for ALP. Some types of plates used in our industry are not produced anywhere in the US. Even if we were able to switch ALP vendors, the presses have to stop while we bring in specialists to reconfigure our machines for a new vendor’s plate—smaller printers do not keep such people on staff. That necessity leads to shutdowns and lost opportunity costs for the printers and, in turn, for us. And, further downstream, it amounts to losses for our readers and our communities. News delayed is news denied,” it explained.

Earlier this month, 12 U.S.-based trade groups in the printing and graphic communications industries also sent a joint letter to ITC, urging it to reject the new tariffs. These groups join a growing chorus of opposition to these new tariffs that includes the News/Media Alliance and others concerned about the impact of these tariffs on newspapers, publishers, printers, and other industries.