The National Press Club Journalism Institute will host a briefing for national and regional journalists on the debate over a proposed gas tax suspension and what it could mean for consumers, transportation funding, inflation, and state budgets.

As policymakers consider calls to suspend federal and state gas taxes in response to rising fuel prices, reporters have found themselves answering complex questions: Would consumers actually see meaningful savings at the pump? Who ultimately benefits from a gas tax holiday? And what are the tradeoffs for infrastructure funding and long-term transportation policy?

To help unpack the issue, experts from the Bipartisan Policy Center — Andy Winkler and Andrew Lautz — will walk journalists through what’s at stake at both the federal and state levels when it comes to the gas tax holiday proposals.

The briefing will draw on BPC’s recent analysis, including its “Hidden Cost of a Gas Tax Holiday” explainer and interactive Gas Tax Holiday Calculator, which examines how different policy scenarios could affect prices at the pump and transportation revenues.

Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of:
– How federal and state gas taxes work
– The historical track record of gas tax holidays
– Potential impacts on inflation, consumer prices, and infrastructure funding
– Key data points and reporting angles for journalists covering the issue
– This briefing will provide practical information and tools to help journalists break through data and policy points to provide impactful stories for their audiences.

When it comes to a news organization’s legal needs, understanding how to operate safely and sustainably from a business standpoint is just as important as knowing what challenges might arise in the reporting process. This session, led by ProJourn, a program of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, will help newsroom leaders assess and prioritize their organization’s legal needs. Attorneys will guide attendees through a checklist, developed in collaboration with ProJourn partner Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, of key areas to consider legal risk and needs, including:

• Business models and Governance (e.g., 501(c)(3), compliance with IRS requirements, tax-exempt status, incorporation, fiscal sponsorship, and/or hybrid entity formation, news collaboratives and joint ventures);
• Intellectual property, data protection, privacy (e.g., copyright infringement, website terms and conditions, and privacy policies);
• Employment  (e.g., employee handbook; independent journalist contract template);
• Media Liability (e.g., media liability insurance, defamation risks, pre-publication review, and access to records); and
• Safety and Security (e.g., protest safety and reporting, police interaction, digital security).

Participation in this clinic does not constitute acceptance of your matter for representation nor a promise to do so and does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and in-house counsel, the law firm, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press or any other participating law firm and company, their employees, directors or officers.

Please note, slots are limited and will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. If you cancel less than 48 hours before your scheduled Checkup, your organization will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list. 

If you are not yet a ProJourn client,  please fill out our eligibility form here: https://forms.office.com/r/S3qpVvg1Mt