Proposed tariffs hurt us and you

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Here at The University News, we try to focus on issues that directly affect our community, more than national politics. But sometimes we suffer from seemingly unrelated events and need the community to help us fight back.

A single Washington state paper mill recently complained that Canadian subsidies to the paper industry allowed manufacturers to sell their paper in the U.S. below market value, effectively forcing U.S. mills to lower their prices. As a result, the United States Department of Commerce imposed preliminary tariffs of up to 10 percent in January, and recently added an extra 22 percent to all but two Canadian companies.

Though it’ll be a few months before the tariffs are finalized, customs officials are already gathering the money — and American papers are already suffering.

To cope, The University News’ printer has raised fees by 5 percent, equivalent to two contributing writers’ pay.

The tariffs are also harming larger print-based papers, local printers and paper mills, as well as artists and educators who use smaller amounts of newsprint for their work. The costs will be passed on to those who make the newsprint worth filling, as newsrooms lay off their storytellers to make ends meet.

If this concerns you, as it should, consider helping by:

1: Supporting the content you find valuable by subscribing to the outlets that produce it. There’s no need to buy the print edition if that’s not your jam; digital subscriptions are also valuable to readers and writers.

2: Visit stopnewsprinttariffs.org for a guide and directory so you can contact your senators and representatives about the tariffs.

3: Continue reading The University News online and in print, and subscribe to our social media accounts. Though we’ll never charge our readers for content, our writers and photographers depend on reader engagement as it can help them get a foothold in an industry that needs creators with our educational background.

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