Publisher’s Note
By Rep. Mike Sparks, Publisher, TennesseeLedger.com
I’ve long believed that a free press is essential to a free people. The First Amendment protects freedom of the press for a reason: citizens need access to information, differing viewpoints and local voices—especially when it comes to decisions being made in their own communities.
As a small-business owner, publisher and state legislator, I also understand that small newspapers operate on tight margins. They don’t have the resources of large media corporations or teams of lobbyists walking the halls of government. Sometimes they simply need someone willing to listen.
That was the spirit behind Bracken’s Law.
When Bracken mentioned to me that monthly newspapers were being treated differently under Tennessee’s tax law than newspapers published more frequently, it seemed like a matter of basic fairness. If a newspaper serves its community once a month rather than twice a month, why should it be placed at a tax disadvantage?
Bracken’s Law helped level that playing field.
This issue is also deeply personal to me. My experiences in public service were part of what motivated me to return to college and study communications more deeply. I’ve seen firsthand the tremendous value of responsible local journalism—but I’ve also experienced what I believe were examples of inaccurate reporting, political propaganda and, just as importantly, stories that were never told.
At times, I watched political opponents push narratives about me that I believed were false or misleading, only to see versions of those claims appear in local media. One experience particularly stayed with me. An MTSU television news professor, after observing some of the coverage, told me in class, “Mike, I’ve never seen anyone attacked by the media like you are being attacked. That’s highly unethical.”
I responded, “Now you understand why I went back to school to study communications.”
Another incident reinforced that lesson. Six individuals I understood to be associated with Antifa showed up outside our home around 4 a.m., yelling through a bullhorn and beating a drum. Police responded, neighbors were awakened, and my family was frightened. Yet despite the extraordinary nature of the incident, I saw little or no local news coverage of it.
That experience taught me something important: media influence isn’t limited to what gets reported. What doesn’t get reported can shape public understanding, too.
I sometimes call that “censorship by omission.” A free press has every right to determine what it considers newsworthy, but readers also have every right to ask why certain stories receive extensive attention while others receive virtually none.
Those experiences did not make me an opponent of journalism. Quite the opposite. They strengthened my belief that we need more independent voices, more local newspapers and more competition in the marketplace of ideas—not fewer.
That is one reason Bracken’s Law means so much to me. A healthy First Amendment depends on people willing to report, question, investigate and sometimes challenge the prevailing narrative. Whether we agree with a newspaper or not, Tennessee benefits when hometown publications have a fair opportunity to survive and serve their communities.
Government shouldn’t decide which voices are important based on how frequently they go to press.
Whether it’s a large daily newspaper or a small hometown publication produced by a handful of dedicated people, a healthy free press strengthens our communities and our republic.
That’s why I was proud to sponsor Bracken’s Law—and why I hope Tennesseans will continue supporting the hometown newspapers that work every day to keep their communities informed.
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Bracken’s Law: Tax Relief for Tennessee’s Monthly Newspapers
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